Titanic sub passengers had about a minute’s warning before vessel ‘popped like a balloon’, expert says

‘It must have been like a horror movie,’ submarine expert José Luis Martín says

Passengers on Titanic submersible would have had around a minute of warning before the vessel “popped like a balloon”, according to an expert.

Submarine expert José Luis Martín said the five victims killed - OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, British billionaire Hamish Harding, French explorer Paul-Henri Nargeole, British-Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his teenage son Suleman - probably lost balance in those final moments and could have fallen on top of each other.

Mr Martín claimed the Titan submersible fell “like an arrow vertically” and had “no control” for at least 2,953ft (900m), Jam Press reports.

He said the implosion was like “puncturing a balloon.”

Based on the Spanish engineer’s calculations, the passengers would have been aware of their fate for between 48 and 71 seconds.

“The submersible was descending without any incident and in a horizontal plane until it reached an altitude of about 5,577ft (1,700m),” he told the newspaper Nius.

“At that point, there was an electrical failure.

“It was left without an engine and without propulsion.

“That’s when it lost communication with the Polar Prince.”

He continued: “The Titan changed position and fell like an arrow vertically, because the 400 kilos of passengers that were in the porthole compromised the submarine.

“They all rushed and crowded on top of each other.

“Imagine the horror, the fear and the agony.”

Submarine expert José Luis Martín shares his thoughts on the Titanic sub’s final moments (Jam Press)

Mr Martín added: “It must have been like a horror movie.

“As they fell into the depths of the ocean, the resistant hull was subjected to a sudden increase in pressure.

“And then there was a strong compression of the container where the tourists and pilot were.

“In that period of time, they are realising everything. And in total darkness.

“It’s difficult to get an idea of what they experienced in those moments.

“After those 48 seconds, or one minute, the implosion occurred followed by instantaneous death.”

The tragedy happened while attempting to view the wreckage of the Titanic on the morning of 18 June.

The submersible lost contact with the mothership about 105 minutes into its dive.

The US Coast Guard confirmed the victims’ deaths four days later.

An investigation into the implosion is ongoing.