The US Coast Guard said it likely recovered “suspected human remains” from the wreckage of the submarine that imploded on a voyage to see the Titanic in the Atlantic Ocean.
The information was released hours after it was announced that the wreckage of the submarine Titan had arrived in São João da Terra Nova, the capital of Canada’s Terra Nova province, after unloading at a Canadian Coast Guard pier.
Recovering and analyzing the wreckage is a fundamental part of the investigation to determine the causes of the Titan’s implosion, which killed the five people on board.
“There is still much work to be done to understand the factors that led to the catastrophic loss of Titan and ensure that a similar tragedy does not happen again,” said Jason Neubauer, US Coast Guard, in a statement released late Wednesday afternoon.
The “suspected remains” will be flown to the United States, where medical professionals will conduct a formal analysis, and the Coast Guard has launched a top-level investigation into the implosion, Neubauer said, noting that the Navy’s commission of inquiry will review and test evidence including pieces of debris.
The official also said that the evidence will provide “important information” about the cause of the implosion.
The wreckage of the Titan lay about 12,000 feet deep and nearly 1,500 feet from the Titanic, on the ocean floor, the Coast Guard reported last week.
The submersible’s implosion occurred during its descent to the Titanic, the luxury liner that sank on its maiden voyage in 1912 after hitting an iceberg.
On June 22, authorities announced that the submarine Titan, reported missing on June 18, had imploded and the five people on board were dead.
OceanGate Expeditions, the company that owns and operates Titan, is based in the United States, but the submarine is registered in the Bahamas. OceanGate is headquartered in Everett, Washington, but was closed when the Titan’s remains were found.
The operator charged each of the passengers $250,000 (229,000 euros) to participate in the trip. Titan’s implosion has raised questions about the safety of private underwater reconnaissance operations.
Source: DN
