“The debris is consistent with the catastrophic loss of the pressure chamber,” said US Coast Guard Rear Admiral John Mauger.
The Titan submersible, carrying tourists to the wreck of the Titanic, likely imploded killing all five people on board, the US Coast Guard believes.
The search continues to recover debris and the bodies.
Trip operator OceanGate said it believes all five on board are dead.
Aircraft, boats and remotely operated underwater vehicles had been searching near the Titanic wreck all this week.
The occupants were a renowned adventurer, a British billionaire, a Pakistani father and son, and the OceanGate CEO.
The company has been questioned over safety credentials.
Meanwhile, a descendant of Titanic victims has slammed the dark tourism of visiting the wreck.
John Locascio, whose uncles died in 1912, criticized the morbid fascination of visiting an underwater graveyard.
“I compare it to looking inside a grave. I mean, people died there tragically. Why make it a place for people to go see?” he told CNN.
Most bodies from the Titanic have never been recovered.
If my soul was there, I wouldn’t want people coming down to take a look at me,” he added.
