Titan submersible story raises questions about drowned Libyans

Source: Anadolu Agency / Getty

Yesterday, news broke that the five passengers aboard the Titan submersible had died in a “catastrophic implosion” after a fatal drop in cabin pressure as the vessel descended to 13,000 feet below sea level. Hamish Harding, Shahzada Dawood, his son Suleman Dawood, Paul-Henri Nargeolet, and OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush were the subjects of heavy news coverage and public interest over the past week as international rescue efforts were galvanized with hopes of finding them alive. We can’t imagine the pain that their loved ones are feeling right now and we sincerely feel for all parties involved. However…

The incident has raised a number of legitimate questions about how this story was covered, the massive effort put forth to provide aid, and the glaring lack of effort exerted in other cases. For example, according to NBCNews, a boat full of hundreds of migrant people leaving Libya headed to Italy sunk last week and there’s a very good chance that this is the very first time you’ve heard this.

One group of people was wealthy, privileged, and taking a risk for sport, the other group are melanated asylum seekers who sought a better life. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to understand the optics and possibly the intent behind the disparate treatment of these tragedies.

In Libya, there have been protests, arrests, and angry public questioning of law enforcement’s apathy in finding the people who suffered a watery death. Josie Naughton, CEO of the UK refugee support organization Choose Love spoke directly to this polarized reaction.

“Whilst of course we hope so much that the people on board get brought to safety, it does kind of make you question, what’s the difference in terms of how the media is covering it but also in terms of how, you know, the governments and government infrastructure responds,” Naughton added. “Why is it so different?”

Obviously, the search for the Titan submersible was a race against the purported 96 hours of oxygen that the passengers had before breathing was no longer an option. We’re sure that some would say that this is an apples-to-oranges comparison but we know for a fact that these tragedies don’t always get the attention they rightfully deserve.