The US Coast Guard announced on Thursday that the five crew members aboard the Titan Five submersible have died in a “catastrophic implosion” that destroyed the vessel deep in the North Atlantic Ocean.
An implosion is when an object is squeezed from the outside, causing it to collapse inward. In the case of the submersible, it likely contracted and collapsed due to the immense pressure from the ocean.
This is different from an explosion, which is a burst that originates from within the object, causing it to break apart. If the submersible had exploded, it would have been torn into several pieces by a force from within. As the submersible went deeper into the ocean, the pressure from the seawater increased significantly, potentially causing it to crumple under the immense weight.