The US Coast Guard says it likely recovered human remains from the wreckage of the Titan submersible and is bringing the evidence back to the United States. The submersible imploded last week, killing all five people on board as they set out to view the Titanic wreck.
The wreck of the Titan submersible was brought ashore on Wednesday. Their return to port in Saint-Jean, Newfoundland and Labrador is a key element in the investigation into the reasons for the submersible’s implosion.
In a statement late Wednesday, the US Coast Guard said it had recovered debris and evidence from the seabed, including what are believed to be human remains.
“I am grateful for the coordinated international and multi-agency assistance in recovering and preserving this vital evidence from extreme distances and depths,” U.S. Coast Guard Chief Capt. Jason Neubauer said in a statement.
“These elements will provide investigators from multiple international jurisdictions with important information about the causes of this tragedy. Much more needs to be done to understand the factors that led to the catastrophic loss of Titan and to ensure such a tragedy does not repeat itself.”
The wreckage of the small Titan submersible was brought back to Newfoundland aboard a Canadian-flagged vessel that had been helping to search for the submarine that imploded at the bottom of the North Atlantic ten days ago.
The Horizon Arctic docked in the port of Saint-Jean with a remote-controlled vehicle on board that had been scanning the seabed about 700 kilometers south of the island of Newfoundland.
The remote-controlled submersible’s owner, Pelagic Research Services, says his team has successfully completed its underwater operations and is now unloading its gear from the Horizon Arctic.
“They have now been working 24/7 for 10 days despite physical and mental challenges and they can’t wait to complete the mission and get back to their loved ones,” the company said in an email.
Photos taken on the dock appear to show several parts of the submersible being lifted off the ship, including the nose cone with its distinctive round porthole.
The Titan imploded on June 18 while descending to the Titanic wreck nearly four kilometers below the sea surface, killing all five passengers and crew.
Four days later, on June 22, the US Coast Guard pronounced her dead after the remote-controlled submersible spotted the wreck of the Titan about 500 meters from the bow of the 1912 transatlantic liner.
Stockton Rush, CEO of the company that owns Titan, OceanGate, piloted the small submersible, which was carrying four passengers: British billionaire Hamish Harding, French explorer and Titanic expert Paul-Henry Nargeolet, and the ship’s man. Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood is bringing his 19-year-old son Suleman with him.
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) issued an update Wednesday night saying its investigators conducted preliminary interviews with people aboard the support ship Polar Prince, which acted as a supply ship for Titan and helped transport the submersible to its launch a fatal dive.
The ship’s voyage data recorder was sent to the TSB Engineering Laboratory in Ottawa for further investigation.
The TSB said it had inspected, documented and cataloged materials from Titan’s wreckage and these materials are now in the possession of the US Coast Guard.
The US Coast Guard, which is leading the international investigation, did not immediately say who would be examining the debris brought ashore on Wednesday.
Horizon Maritime, owner of the Canadian ship Horizon Arctic, also declined to comment. This company also includes the “Polar Prince”, the mother ship of the Titan.
For its part, the Pelagic company said members of its team could not provide information about the ongoing investigation for “confidentiality and non-disclosure reasons”.
With information from The Associated Press in Portland, Maine.