Critics Say Submersible Should’ve Been Tested With Poorer Passengers First

WASHINGTON—Analyzing the mistakes OceanGate made that led to the vessel’s disappearance, critics told reporters Thursday that the submersible should have been tested with poorer passengers first. “The company skipped the very crucial step of sending five lower-class people to the bottom of the ocean to make sure it was safe enough for the wealthy,” said Otto Scofield, a member of the Marine Technology Society, adding that no one with a net worth above $50,000 should have been in the submersible. “OceanGate made the mistake of not using minimum wage workers and unemployed people on government welfare programs to test the seaworthiness of the craft, which was not billionaire-ready. Running more trials with some homeless people would have made all the difference, and the deaths of several wealthy people could have been prevented.” Scofield continued that using children of color from impoverished families would have been ideal as more would have been able to fit inside the submersible.