No, Video Does Not Show People in OceanGate’s Submersible Just Before Implosion

We found that the viral claim is false. The visuals are from a 2021 OceanGate expedition.

A video is being shared on the internet with a claim that it shows passengers sitting inside OceanGate's Titan submersible minutes before it imploded.

What have users said?: Those sharing the video have uploaded it with a caption that said, "In the last scene, you can see five people sitting in the submarine. They also made a video of the Titanic, but what do they know that death is waiting for us in the Titanic and they will never return alive."

(More archives to similar claims can be found here, here, and here.)

What is the truth?: The video is from a 2021 OceanGate expedition and is not recent as claimed.

• It should also be noted that no female passenger was on board during the recent expedition.

What led us to the truth?: We performed a keyword search which led us to a video uploaded on the official YouTube channel of CBS News.

• The video was posted on 22 June.

• Its description said, "Rescue crews are searching frantically for the oxygen-starved Titan submersible. Aaron Newman, OceanGate investor and a passenger on the submersible in 2021, joined CBS News to describe what it is like to be inside the Titan."

• At around the 46-second mark, one could see some similar visuals as seen in the viral video.

• The visuals were credited to Aaron Newman, and had a date stamp of 2021.

• On comparing several keyframes from the YouTube clip to the viral one, we found that both of them were from the same incident.

  (Swipe right to view all comparisons.)

• Further, we compared the picture of Newman from the interview to one of the people seen in the viral video.

• We found that it was indeed Newman who can be seen in both the videos.

News reports: A Daily Mail report published mentioned that Newman, along with other people, went to an OceanGate expedition in 2021.

• Talking about his experience, he said, "It was something out of Discovery Channel or National Geographic. It was very surreal and amazing."

• It carried a picture of all the people who were a part of the 2021 expedition.

• The picture also featured OceanGate's Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Stockton Rush.

• It can be that only one female member was present during the expedition, who was identified as Bridget Buxton.

• We went through several videos of a YouTube channel named 'OceanGate Expedition' and found that Buxton is a nautical archaeologist.

• On comparing the woman seen in the viral video to a Buxton's image, we found several similarities.

Who all were on board on Titan submersible?: The Quint published a story on the implosion of the submersible. You can read it here.

The people on board were Hamish Harding:

• Stockton Rush, OceanGate's CEO

• Hamish Harding, a British businessman

• Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman

• French diver Paul-Henri Nargeole

It should be noted that no female passengers were on board when the unfortunate incident happened.

Recent update on the submersible: Presumed human remains and pieces of the Titan submersible have been brought to Canada, Reuters reported.

Conclusion: An old video is being shared to falsely claim that it shows passengers on OceanGate's submersible minutes before it imploded.

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