More presumed human remains, debris recovered from imploded Titan submersible
- Discovery made 500 metres from the bow of the Titanic, 644km off the coast of Newfoundland; US Coast Guard to hold evidence review
- Five people died on the recreational sub, operated by US-based OceanGate, including company’s CEO Stockton Rush and British explorer Hamish Harding
More presumed human remains, debris recovered from imploded Titan submersible. Photo: AFPThe US Coast Guard has said that more debris and suspected human remains have been retrieved from the privately owned submersible which failed catastrophically in June while on a mission to the Titanic.
All five people on board the recreational sub, named Titan and operated by US-based company OceanGate, were killed when the vessel imploded, which is believed to have occurred during its June 18 descent.
The sub’s failure was confirmed on June 22, ending a days-long rescue mission which captivated the world.
The Coast Guard had launched its highest level of probe, called a Marine Board of Investigation, into the accident.
“Marine safety engineers with the Coast Guard’s Marine Board of Investigation (MBI) recovered and transferred remaining Titan submersible debris and evidence from the North Atlantic Ocean sea floor” on October 4, the US Coast Guard said in a statement earlier this week.
“Additional presumed human remains were carefully recovered from within Titan’s debris and transported for analysis by US medical professionals,” it added.
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Some wreckage and presumed human remains were also recovered in late June.
The Coast Guard said it was coordinating with the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) “and other international investigative agencies to schedule a joint evidence review of recovered Titan debris.”
The five men aboard the Titan were British explorer Hamish Harding, French submarine expert Paul-Henri Nargeolet, Pakistani-British tycoon Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman and Stockton Rush, CEO of the sub’s operator OceanGate Expeditions.
A debris field was found 500 metres from the bow of the Titanic, which sits 400 miles 644km off the coast of Newfoundland.
The victims were presumed to have died instantly when the Titan, about the size of an SUV car, imploded under the crushing pressure of the North Atlantic at a depth of nearly four kilometres.
The US Coast Guard and Canadian authorities have launched probes into the cause of the tragedy, which occurred after the Titan lost contact about an hour and 45 minutes after plunging into the ocean.
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The Titanic hit an iceberg and sank in 1912 during its maiden voyage from England to New York with 2,224 passengers and crew on board. More than 1,500 people died.
It was found in 1985 and has become a lure for nautical experts and underwater tourists.