Did OceanGate CEO create 'mousetrap for billionaires'? A friend makes bizarre claim

Karl Stanley, who was a one-time passenger of the Titan submersible that imploded last month near the wreck of the Titanic, blamed OceanGate's CEO, Stockton Rush, for the terrible accident.

Stanley, a friend of Rush, said that the CEO created a "mousetrap for billionaires". In an interview with 60 Minutes Australia on Sunday, Stanley said that he'd warned his friend that the carbon fibre and titanium craft was dangerous.

Stanley said, "He knew it would end like this. He literally and figuratively went out with the biggest bang in human history that you can go out with. He was the last person to murder two billionaires at once and have them pay for the privilege."

Stanley added, "I think Stockton was designing a mousetrap for billionaires."

When asked if Rush had a "death wish," Stanley replied that the "only question is, 'When?' He was risking his life and his customers' lives to go down in history. He's more famous now than anything else he would've done."

During the interview that aired on Monday, Stanley asked, "He quite literally and figuratively went out with the biggest bang in human history that you could go out with, and who was the last person to murder two billionaires at once, and have them pay for the privilege?"

On being asked about what could have gone wrong with the Titan sub, Stanley said: "There's no doubt in my mind that it was the carbon fibre tube that was the mechanical part that failed."

The Titan submersible imploded, killing all five on board when it was on a voyage to see the century-old wreck of the Titanic earlier this month. The company's CEO, Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood, Hamish Harding, and Paul-Henri Nargeolet were among those who lost their lives.

Concerns over such expeditions

The submersible accident raised questions about the unregulated nature of such expeditions as experts across the world asked why private parties ignore safety checks during risky adventure trips.

Reports also mentioned that the company had not got a safety audit committed by a third party. Some experts have highlighted that the scope of survival was low even if a small thing went wrong.

In the past week, Canadian and US authorities have also announced investigations into the incident.

(With inputs from agencies)

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