stated on June 21, 2023 in an interview:
The Titan submersible was found June 21 with all five passengers alive.
Facebook claim makes premature claim about Titan submersible passengers
In a case of misinformation being shared before the facts were known, a Facebook post claimed that the Titan submersible lost deep undersea had been discovered with all five passengers alive.
“Well they been found,” said the June 21 post, which included images purporting to show the surfaced vessel and text claiming that the passengers survived.
The claim was made even as search efforts were ongoing; the fate of the passengers remained unknown as of mid-day June 22.
The 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 submersible disappeared while on an Atlantic Ocean expedition to view the wreckage of the Titanic. The ship struck an iceberg and sank in 1912, killing all but about 700 of the roughly 2,200 passengers and crew.
Aircraft, ships and underwater equipment from the U.S., Canada and France joined in the search for the Titan submersible. The oxygen supply for the passengers was expected to run out on the morning of June 22.
On the morning of June 22, The Associated Press was continuing to report live updates about the search, including a French deep sea robot having joined the efforts.
Other news media posting live updates on June 22 included The Washington Post and NBC News.
Aboard the vessel: Stockton Rush, founder and CEO of OceanGate Expeditions, which operates the Titan; Hamish Harding, a British businessman, chairman of Action Aviation and an explorer; Paul-Henri Nargeolet, underwater research director for RMS Titanic Inc. and a French maritime expert; Shahzada Dawood, a British-Pakistani businessman and vice chairman of Engro Corp.; and Suleman Dawood, Shahzada Dawood’s son and a business student at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow.
As of this fact-check’s publication, there were no reports about the submersible being found or the passengers inside.
We rate the Facebook post False.
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Our Sources
USA Today, "Nothing found so far in search for Titanic-bound submarine, contrary to viral claim | Fact check," published June 21, 2023; updated June 22, 2023
The Associated Press, "Live updates | French deep sea robot joins search for missing submersible," June 22, 2023
The Associated Press, "The latest on the search for the Titan submersible and outlook for rescue," June 22, 2023
The Associated Press, "Fabricated news report falsely claims Titanic-bound submersible was found empty," June 22, 2023
NBC News: "Live coverage: Missing Titanic submersible live updates: Desperate push to find sub before oxygen supply runs out," June 22, 2023
The Washington Post, "Live updates: Search for missing Titanic submersible at crucial stage; remote vehicle lands on seafloor," June 22, 2023