According to Spanish submarine expert José Luis Martín, the submersible lost stability as a result of an electrical malfunction, rendering it without propulsion and causing it to descend rapidly towards the seabed in a vertical manner, akin to an arrow.
Martín further speculated that during this descent, the passengers would have found themselves stacked atop one another, experiencing a terrifying ordeal in complete darkness. The duration of this descent, estimated to last between 48 and 71 seconds, would have undoubtedly been distressing for all on board.
From The Daily Mail:
Martin offered his theory as to how the submersible failed during an interview with Spanish newspaper Nius.
'The starting point is that the submarine is descending without any incident and in a horizontal plane until it reached about 1,700 meters (5,500 feet).
'At that point, there was an electrical failure. It was left without an engine and without propulsion. That's when it lost communication with the Polar Prince,' he told the newspaper.
He then suggested that the lack of propulsion would have caused it to lose stability and begin descending rapidly.
'The Titan changed position and fell like an arrow vertically, because the 400 kilos of passengers that were in the porthole compromised the submarine. They all rushed and crowded on top of each other,' Martín added.
'Imagine the horror, the fear and the agony. It must have been like a horror movie.'
Due to the depth and the lack of both natural light and electricity, the group would have been in total darkness as they sank toward the bottom of the Atlantic, he said.
This insight paints an absolutely horrifying and heartbreaking image in one's mind.
While a minute may seem quick in the context of everyday life, when you find yourself in total darkness, plummeting towards certain doom, that minute likely stretches out into an agonizing eternity.
