Search continues for Titan passengers, despite social media claims

A recent Facebook post declared the five people aboard the Titan submersible dead, reporting that "the world is mourning, breaking news, millionaires lost in the depths of the sea have been found dead."

But that’s wrong.  

The June 21 post was flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram.)

The Titan, which on June 18 was en route to visit the wreckage of the Titanic, has not been found. Searches for the missing submersible were still underway June 22. 

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It’s believed to have started its deep-sea dive with about a 96-hour air supply, The New York Times reported. That’s enough to last until the morning of June 22, or longer if its passengers can stay calm. 

Aboard the submersible are:

• Stockton Rush, founder and chief executive of OceanGate Expeditions, which operates the Titan;
• Hamish Harding, a British businessman, chairman of Action Aviation and an explorer;
• Paul-Hanri Nargeolet, director of underwater research for RMS Titanic Inc, and a French maritime expert;
• Shahzada Dawood, a British-Pakistani businessman and vice chairman of Engro Corp.;
• Suleman Dawood, Shahzada Dawood’s son and a business student at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow.

We rate claims that they were found dead before June 22 False.