News

Titanic sub destroyed, killing all aboard

Published

1 year ago

June 23, 2023

editor

A deep-sea submersible carrying five people on a voyage to the century-old wreck of the Titanic was found in pieces from a “catastrophic implosion” that killed everyone aboard, the US Coast Guard said on Thursday, Reuters said.

A robotic diving vehicle deployed from a Canadian ship discovered a debris field from the submersible Titan on Thursday morning on the seabed some 1,600 feet (488 meters) from the bow of the Titanic, 2 1/2 miles (4 km) beneath the surface, in a remote corner of the North Atlantic, US Coast Guard Rear Admiral John Mauger told reporters.

The Titan, operated by the US-based company OceanGate Expeditions, had been missing since it lost contact with its surface support ship on Sunday morning about an hour, 45 minutes into what should have been a two-hour dive to the world’s most famous shipwreck.

Five major fragments of the 22-foot (6.7-meter) Titan were located in the debris field left from its disintegration, including the vessel’s tail cone and two sections of the pressure hull, Coast Guard officials said.

No mention was made of whether human remains were sighted.

“The debris field here is consistent with a catastrophic implosion of the vehicle,” Mauger said.

Even before the Coast Guard’s press conference, OceanGate issued a statement saying there were no survivors among the five men aboard the Titan, including the company’s founder and chief executive officer, Stockton Rush, who was piloting the Titan.

The four others were British billionaire and explorer Hamish Harding, 58; Pakistani-born businessman Shahzada Dawood, 48, and his 19-year-old son, Suleman, both British citizens; and French oceanographer and renowned Titanic expert Paul-Henri Nargeolet, 77, who had visited the wreck dozens of times.

“These men were true explorers who shared a distinct spirit of adventure, and a deep passion for exploring and protecting the world’s oceans. Our hearts are with these five souls and every member of their families during this tragic time,” the company said.

Search teams and support personnel from the US, Canada, France and Britain had spent days scanning thousands of square miles of open seas with planes and ships for any sign of the Titan.

News

3 officers at Angunukolapelessa Prison interdicted after inmates escape

Published

4 hours ago

October 8, 2024

editor

Three officers at the Angunukolapelessa Prison have been interdicted following the escape of four inmates.

The incident had occurred on October 1 when a group of 10 inmates had been taken out of the prison on the instructions of the prison’s main jailor for cleaning duties. Four out of the 10 inmates who were taken out in this manner had subsequently escaped.

The Department of Prisons stated that the main jailor had taken steps to remove these prisoners and have them engage in cleaning duties without the approval of the prison’s superintendent and that he had not informed the superintendent about removing these inmates.

All four escapees had pending court cases against them and they included one inmate serving a 21-year prison sentence while also having two other court cases pending against him.

Three of the inmates were subsequently captured but one remains at large.

As per the recommendations of an initial inquiry conducted by the Assistant Superintendent of the Matara Prison, the main jailor of the Angunukolapelessa Prison who ordered the inmates to be taken out for cleaning duties, the junior jailor who took them out for those duties as well as the prison guard in charge of the cleaning crew have all been interdicted, Prisons Spokesman Gamini B. Dissanayake stated.

(sundaytimes.lk)

(Except for the headline, this story, originally published by sundaytimes.lk has not been edited by SLM staff)

News

Upcountry trains to end midway due to movie shoot

Published

4 hours ago

October 8, 2024

editor

Due to a joint Indo-Sri Lanka movie being shot on the Nine Arches Bridge, upcountry line trains from Colombo and Kandy will terminate at Ella or Bandarawela from tomorrow (Oct. 09) until October 15th, Sri Lanka Railways state.

Accordingly, trains from 7:30 am – to 5:30 p.m. each day will be affected.

In addition, trains from Badulla will start from Ella or Bandarawela.

News

Amaraweera’s fmr. residence handed over to SBV

Published

4 hours ago

October 8, 2024

editor

Former Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation – Mahinda Amaraweera has handed over his official residence in Paget Road, Colombo to Sirimavo Bandaranaike Vidyalaya in Colombo, reports say.

He had vacated the premises today (Oct. 08).

Speaking to media, Amaraweera has said that the proposal to hand over the residence to Sirimavo Bandaranaike Vidyalaya had been granted cabinet approval during the previous government.

He added that all necessary documentation had been completed for the transfer which now allows the school to use the building from today onwards.