A TikTok video has emerged, showcasing the missing submersible prior to embarking on its ill-fated voyage.
The footage, uploaded to TikTok, displays a small platform featuring the submersible on its surface.
The vehicle, along with its five occupants, has remained missing since June 18th.
OceanGate has since updated the public that the submersible has met its fate with a “catastrophic implosion,”. The five passengers aboard are now believed to have perished in the incident.
The TikTok video was shared by a user, offering a glimpse of the mist-covered North Atlantic from the deck of a ship.
In the background, the submersible, which must be launched from a larger vessel, can be observed on a platform.
Accompanying the video was the caption: “Watching a submarine go down to the Titanic.”
@backwoodslegit024 #Titan #Titanic #RIP #titansubmersible #titanicwreakage
♬ My Heart Will Go On (Titanic) – Maliheh Saeedi & Faraz Taali
Each of the five individuals onboard paid approximately $250,000 to embark on the journey that would take them 3,800 meters below the surface to witness the wreckage of the Titanic.
Prior to the voyage, the passengers were required to sign a waiver acknowledging the potential risks of “physical injury, emotional trauma, or death.”
OceanGate, the company organizing the tours, has faced scrutiny after a lawsuit from 2018 resurfaced. The lawsuit was filed by a former employee who alleged being dismissed after raising safety concerns regarding the submersible.
However, OceanGate has vehemently denied any allegations regarding the safety of its operations. A spokesperson for the company stated, “OceanGate maintains an operation of utmost safety. Our current priority is locating the submersible and ensuring the safe return of the passengers.”
The TikTok video was shared by @abbijaxxxon, an underwater videographer who regularly documents her life aboard a ship in the Atlantic. Little did she know of the unfolding tragedy that awaited the submersible as it descended into the ocean’s depths.
RIP.
