Mexican hotel suspends operations after deaths of American couple

A luxury hotel in Mexico owned by Hyatt has temporarily suspended normal operations after the deaths of a California couple, CBS Los Angeles reports. Last Tuesday, Abby Lutz, 28, and her boyfriend John Heathcott, 41, were found dead in their hotel room. In a statement to CBS Los Angeles, a Hyatt spokesperson said "our top priority is the safety and wellbeing of guests and colleagues, and normal operation will not resume until we have completed our investigation."

Initially, police suspected gas inhalation was the cause of death, but prosecutors in Mexico's Baja California Sur state said autopsies revealed Lutz and Heathco died of intoxication by an unknown substance. There were no signs of violence on the bodies, according to the state prosecutor's office, but it did not say what further steps are being taken to determine the exact cause of death.

Lutz's family relayed to CBS News that they were afflicted by what they thought was food poisoning days before their deaths. After spending a night in a Mexican hospital for dehydration, the couple returned to their hotel. Slate informed CBS News that Monday evening was the last communication her sister had with them; she reported sending her father a text which read "Good Night, Love You," as per usual.

Meanwhile, the sibling paramedics who responded to the incident are now saddled with medical bills after becoming ill themselves, according to a fundraiser for the pair. According to a fundraiser for the siblings, Fernando Valencia Sotelo and Grisel Valencia Sotelo, who attempted to revive the couple, "were overcome" while attending to them. Now they receive medical care at a private hospital.

 There are likely to be five passengers on the Titanic submersible who have died as a result of the "catastrophic implosion"

Five passengers who disappeared while exploring the Titanic shipwreck were likely lost due to a "catastrophic implosion" of their ship, the Coast Guard reported Thursday.

Rear Admiral John Mauger of the U.S. Coast Guard announced at a press conference that five major pieces of debris were found about 1,600 feet from the Titanic's site on Thursday morning, which confirmed the pressure chamber was catastrophically lost. Mauger said they then informed the families and offered their condolences.

OceanGate, the company running the expedition, announced shortly before Mauger's comments that the five passengers had been lost.

In their statement, they said, "These men were true explorers with a deep passion for exploring and protecting the world's oceans.". "Our hearts go out to these five men and their families during this difficult time."

After a 21-foot tourist submersible named Titan went missing approximately 900 miles east of Cape Cod, a massive search was launched to locate the vessel before its occupants ran out of oxygen.

Thursday morning, the Titan was projected to run out of its 96-hour supply of breathable air. Those inside would not have been able to open the door on their own even if they reached the surface because it was bolted from the outside. When asked whether remains could be recovered, Mauger called the conditions “unforgiving” and said there were no prospects at the moment.

A missing sub and extensive search

The Titan, operated by OceanGate, a private exploration company based in Everett, Wash., left early Sunday morning to tour the Titanic wreckage with five passengers aboard: OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, 61; explorer Hamish Harding, 58; Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood, 48, and his 19-year-old son, Suleman; and Paul-Henri Nargeolet, 77.

About an hour and 45 minutes after launch, the Polar Prince, a Canadian research vessel and support ship for the expedition, lost contact with the submersible. The Titan went missing on Sunday evening, triggering an international search effort led by the U.S. Coast Guard, the U.S. Air Force, Navy, Air National Guard, Royal Canadian Navy and Canadian Coast Guard.

Signs of trouble

Established in 2009, OceanGate provides passengers a remarkable opportunity to explore the decaying remains of the Titanic, which infamously sank on its debut voyage from Britain to America in 1912. Rush announced two years ago that the deep-sea vehicle had made a dozen trips to the wreckage; however, there were numerous doubts about the endeavor. In 2018, 36 marine scientists and deep-water adventurers penned an open letter to OceanGate cautioning that their "experimental" practices could result in "dreadful" outcomes for their dives to the Titanic.

The tragedy was foreshadowed in a segment on CBS Sunday Morning in November 2022 for 10 minutes. He explained some of the paperwork in a humorous tone, reading, "This experimental vessel has not been approved or certified by any regulatory body, and could cause physical injury, emotional trauma, or death," before adding, "Where do I sign?".

He noted in the 2022 piece that communication errors prevented the submersible from reaching the wreck site while he was on the expedition. Pogue quoted one passenger as saying, "We were lost for two and a half hours." Pogue's planned trip to Titanic was canceled due to poor weather, and a backup excursion to the Continental Shelf was canceled due to technical difficulties after 37 feet of descent.

According to Pogue, the craft had been lost for five hours and an emergency locator beacon was discussed. He added, "Short texts could still be sent to the sub, but there was no idea where it was." As a result, the internet on the ship was shut off to prevent us from tweeting. The company cited the need to keep all channels open as a reason.

On Tuesday, another former Titan passenger told the BBC he had to sign a "death waiver" which "lists one way after another how you could die on board," including "mentioning death three times on page one."

 Titanic submersible live updates: 'Catastrophic implosion' fuels grief

On Friday, families mourned the deaths of five men aboard Titan after debris from the tourist sub was discovered near the wrecked Titanic's bow.

As the families of the five men who perished on the Titan submersible mourn, investigators have turned to what could have caused the "catastrophic implosion" that is believed to be responsible for their deaths. The U.S. Coast Guard announced Thursday that debris was found near the bow of the sunken Titanic on the ocean floor following an international search in the North Atlantic. Acoustic data analyzed by U.S. Navy officials detected a “anomaly consistent with an implosion or explosion” nearby at around Sunday's time of loss of communications and subsequently shared with commanders who opted to persist with searching. The inquiry will now switch to ascertaining what triggered the implosion as questions still hang over both the shipwreck and its corresponding hunt, which generated worldwide attention.

What to know about the search for answers

The search for answers regarding the disappearance of the submersible on Sunday during a mission to survey the Titanic, located 900 nautical miles east of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, is ongoing. The US Coast Guard recently reported that a debris field was spotted in the search area; further analysis revealed that it was "consistent with a catastrophic implosion of the vessel". Unfortunately, all five people involved in this mission - Stockton Rush (CEO of Ocean Gate Expeditions), Hamish Harding (British billionaire and owner of Action Aviation), Paul-Henri Nargeolet (French dive expert) and Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman - have been presumed dead. Just prior to their journey, Suleman told his aunt that he felt "terrified" about it.

The possibility of Canadian assistance with 'recovery and salvage' is being discussed

On Thursday, discussions were held to evaluate the assistance given by the Canadian forces. The Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC) and Canadian Armed Forces issued a statement expressing their sincere sympathy to those associated with the crew of the Titan. After attempts were made to rescue them, they ultimately concluded with a tragic outcome. All JRCC-related assets are being redirected back to homebase to refill supplies and be ready for future incidents.