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What is a ‘catastrophic implosion,’ and what would it have been like for the Titanic sub passengers?

FILE - This undated image provided by OceanGate Expeditions in June 2021 shows the company's Titan submersible. Rescuers are racing against time to find the missing submersible carrying five people, who were reported overdue Sunday night. (OceanGate Expeditions via AP, File) (Uncredited, OceanGate Expeditions)

For days, the world could only imagine the grim scene: five men cramped in a cold, dark tube, knowing that they were about to run out of air. In reality, those aboard the Titan submersible most likely died instantaneously in what officials called a “catastrophic implosion.”

The deep-sea water pressure that appears to have crushed the 22-foot craft would have been roughly equivalent in weight to the 10,000-ton, wrought-iron Eiffel Tower, experts told NBC News on Friday. The colossal forces would have acted so quickly that it would be like the vehicle’s carbon-fiber hull “suddenly vanishing” before anyone inside knew what was happening, one expert said.

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“They would have known nothing — the minute this body of water hit them, they would have been dead,” said Paul White, a professor at England’s University of Southampton, who specializes in underwater acoustics and forces.

To continue reading, visit nbcnews.com.


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