On Thursday morning authorities had announced the discovery of a debris field while searching for the submersible Titan at the Titanic wreckage site.

Tragically, the Coast Guard on Thursday afternoon confirmed the worst:

The debris found on the sea floor was "consistent with the catastrophic loss of the pressure chamber, [of the Titan]" the Coast Guard said.

The remotely operated vehicle (ROV) found the tail cone of the Titan on the sea floor about 1,600 feet away from the bow of the Titanic and other debris nearby, according to Rear Adm. John Mauger, the First Coast Guard District commander.

The debris was analyzed by experts, he said, and the families of the passengers were notified.

The very small silver lining to this tragedy is that a "catastrophic loss of the pressure chamber" means not one of those poor souls felt a thing. It was over in mere milliseconds.

Rear Adm. John Mauger of the Coast Guard said the search for bodies would continue, although the "incredibly unforgiving environment" of the deep-sea floor poses challenges to searchers.

The tail of the pressure hull was reportedly located about 1,600 feet away from the bow of the Titanic shipwreck.