WASHINGTON (TND) — "Presumed human remains" were found after the Titan submersible imploded during its underwater descent to explore the site of the Titanic shipwreck, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.
Five people were aboard the vessel, including a father and son, when it met its fate on June 18.
Debris and evidence were recovered from the seafloor on Wednesday, which was 10 days after the Titan lost contact with a Canadian research boat during a dive approximately 900 miles east of Cape Cod, Massachusetts.
The Canada Press on Wednesday shared photos as a ship that had been searching for the Titan arrived back in port in St. John’s, Newfoundland. The Canadian-flagged Horizon Arctic carried a remotely operated vehicle, or ROV, that searched the ocean floor not far from the wreck of the Titanic.
The images showed several pieces of the submersible being lifted from the ship.
The Coast Guard said the Marine Board of Investigation, or MBI, plans to transport the evidence on a cutter to a port in the United States, where the MBI will then conduct analysis and testing.
I am grateful for the coordinated international and interagency support to recover and preserve this vital evidence at extreme offshore distances and depths,” MBI Chair Captain Jason Neubauer added. “The evidence will provide investigators from several international jurisdictions with critical insights into the cause of this tragedy. There is still a substantial amount of work to be done to understand the factors that led to the catastrophic loss of the TITAN and help ensure a similar tragedy does not occur again.”A father and son – Shahzada Dawood and Suleman Dawood – were among those aboard. Ocean Gate CEO and pilot Stockton Rush, Hamish Harding and Paul-Henri Nargeolet were also in the vessel.
Rear Adm. John Mauger of the First Coast Guard District previously said debris found from the sub “is consistent with a catastrophic implosion of the vessel." The location of the Titan was in an area that was roughly 1,600 feet from the Titanic wreck, he added.
"The debris is consistent with a catastrophic loss of the pressure chamber," Mauger announced during a news conference held on Thursday. “Upon this determination, we immediately notified the families. On behalf of the United States Coast Guard, and the entire Unified Command, I offer my deepest condolences to the families. I can only imagine what this has been like for them and I hope this discovery provides some solace during this difficult time.”
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EDITOR'S NOTE: The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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