The US Coast Guard reports that presumed human remains have been discovered within the wreckage of the Titan submersible.
Wednesday, in St. John's, Canada, fragments of the sub that exploded during a deep dive near the Titanic were discharged. The sub's landing frame and rear cover were discovered among the debris, according to officials.
US medical specialists will conduct a formal analysis of the presumed remains, according to a statement from the coast guard. The agency is in the preliminary phases of its investigation into the disaster's causes. The Marine Board of Investigation (MBI) of the Coast Guard will transport the evidence to a U.S. port for additional analysis and testing.
Capt. Jason Neubauer, chair of the MBI, stated in a statement that there was still a great deal of work to be done in order to comprehend the factors that led to the Titan's catastrophic loss and to prevent a similar calamity from occurring in the future. The vessel exploded 90 minutes into a dive to view the famous 1912 shipwreck at a depth of 3,800m (12,500ft) in the north Atlantic on June 18, killing all five persons aboard.
Stockton Rush, 61, the director of OceanGate, which organized the dive; Hamish Harding, 58, a British explorer; Shahzada Dawood, 48, and his son, Suleman Dawood, 19; and Paul-Henry Nargeolet, 77, a French diver, were the passengers. Officials were initially skeptical that any of the bodies would be recovered.
Shortly after the loss of the vessel was verified, Coast Guard Adm. John Mauger remarked, that the environment on the ocean floor is extremely unforgiving. Capt. Neubauer stated at the time that if human remains were discovered, investigators would take "all precautions" and the investigation would likely include a formal inquiry with witness testimony.
Five major pieces of the sub have been discovered, according to the coast guard, in a large debris field near the bow of the Titanic. According to sources, science correspondent Jonathan Amos, the debris hauled ashore on At least one titanium end cap, the sub's porthole with its window missing, a titanium ring, the landing frame, and the end equipment compartment appeared on Wednesday.
The retrieval mission was conducted by the Canadian ship Horizon Arctic, which is equipped with a remotely operated vehicle operated by Pelagic Research Services. The company announced in a statement earlier on Wednesday that its offshore operations were complete and that its team was returning to its home base. Former employees have expressed concerns about the unregulated Titan sub, for which OceanGate has been criticized for its safety procedures.
In emails viewed, Mr. Rush had previously dismissed the safety concerns of one expert, stating that he was "tired of industry players who try to use a safety argument to halt innovation." Another former employee of OceanGate authored an inspection report that identified "numerous issues that posed grave safety concerns," including the manner in which the hull was evaluated.
OceanGate stated in a statement last week that it was "an extremely sad time for our employees, who are exhausted and grieving deeply over this loss"
