The US Coast Guard has reported the recovery of additional debris and suspected human remains from a privately owned submersible that suffered a catastrophic failure in June while on a mission to explore the Titanic. The recreational sub, named Titan and operated by US-based company OceanGate, imploded during its descent on June 18, resulting in the loss of all five individuals on board.
After confirming the sub’s failure on June 22, the Coast Guard concluded a rescue mission that had captured worldwide attention. On October 4, marine safety engineers from the Coast Guard’s Marine Board of Investigation (MBI) retrieved and transferred the remaining debris and evidence from the North Atlantic Ocean seafloor, according to a statement released on Monday.
The statement also mentioned the careful recovery of additional presumed human remains from within the sub’s debris, which have been transported for analysis by US medical professionals. Some wreckage and presumed human remains had already been recovered in late June.
The five men on board 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, the CEO of OceanGate Expeditions, the operator of the sub.
The debris field was discovered approximately 1,600 feet (500 meters) from the bow of the Titanic, which rests 400 miles off the coast of Newfoundland. The victims are believed to have died instantaneously when the Titan, roughly the size of an SUV, collapsed under the immense pressure of the North Atlantic at a depth of over two miles (nearly four kilometres).
Both the US Coast Guard and Canadian authorities have initiated investigations into the cause of the tragedy. The incident occurred after the sub lost contact roughly one hour and 45 minutes after plunging into the ocean.