In an interview with ABC News on Thursday, renowned filmmaker James Cameron drew attention to the striking resemblance between the tragic events surrounding the Titanic disaster and the presumed deaths of the five passengers on board the Titan submersible. Cameron, who directed the famous movie “Titanic,” told ABC News that diving experts were “deeply concerned” regarding the safety of the submersible even before the ill-fated expedition took place.

“A number of the top players in the deep submergence engineering community even wrote letters to the company, saying that what they were doing was too experimental to carry passengers and that it needed to be certified,” he claimed.

Following the discovery of Titan debris, indicating the loss of life onboard, Cameron couldn’t help but draw parallels between this presumed catastrophe and the ill-fated voyage of the Titanic.

“I’m struck by the similarity of the Titanic disaster itself, where the captain was repeatedly warned about ice ahead of his ship, and yet he steamed at full speed into an ice field on a moonless night and many people died as a result,” said Cameron.

“For us, it’s a very similar tragedy where warnings went unheeded,” the Canadian director surmised. “To take place at the same exact site with all the diving that’s going on all around the world, I think it’s just astonishing. It’s really quite surreal,” he added.

The 68-year-old director, having made 33 trips to the Titanic wreckage site in his lifetime, possesses both a cinematic and personal connection to the historic event. His remarks underline the shared spirit of adventure among explorers and the profound sorrow felt by the entire explorer community and the families affected by this devastating loss.

During a press conference, the U.S. Coast Guard confirmed that debris consistent with a catastrophic loss of pressure in the “Titan” chamber was discovered by a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) approximately 1,600 feet from the tailbone of the Titanic wreckage on the sea floor. Once the debris were confirmed, OceanGate, the company behind the ill-fated expedition, released a statement.

“We now believe that our CEO Stockton Rush, Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood, Hamish Harding, and Paul-Henri Nargeolet, have sadly been lost,” read the company statement.

“These men were true explorers who shared a distinct spirit of adventure, and a deep passion for exploring and protecting the world’s oceans. Our hearts are with these five souls and every member of their families during this tragic time. We grieve the loss of life and joy they brought to everyone they knew,” the statement continued.

“This is an extremely sad time for our dedicated employees who are exhausted and grieving deeply over this loss.”

“The entire OceanGate family is deeply grateful for the countless men and women from multiple organizations of the international community who expedited wide-ranging resources and have worked so very hard on this mission.”

“We respectfully ask that the privacy of these families be respected during this most painful time,” the statement added.