Human remains have been recovered from the wreckage of the Titan submersible, which was returned to land Wednesday, the U.S. Coast Guard said. The return of debris to the Port of St. John’s, Canada, is an important part of the investigation into why the submarine exploded and the five people on board were killed.
The Titan submarine, owned and operated by OceanGate Expeditions, suffered a catastrophic explosion earlier this month while sailing to see the wreckage of the Titanic. The twisted parts of the 22-foot submersible washed ashore at a Canadian Coast Guard pier on Wednesday. Officials said its landing frame and a rear cover were recovered from the wreckage.
“The evidence will provide investigators with critical insight into the cause of this tragedy. There is still considerable work to be done to understand the causes of Titan’s catastrophic damage and to help ensure that similar tragedies do not happen again,” said Jason Neubauer, chair of the Marine Board of Investigation, according to The Guardian.
The wreckage was recovered about a week later when authorities announced they had found the wreckage underwater. Titan’s wreckage was located about 12,500 feet (3,810 meters) underwater and about 1,600 feet (488 meters) from the Titanic on the ocean floor, the Coast Guard said last week.
The Coast Guard is leading an investigation into why the submersible imploded during landing on June 18. Officials announced on June 22 that the submarine had exploded and that all five people on board were killed.
Oceangate CEO Stockton Rush, British businessman Hamish Harding, Pakistani-born father-son duo Shahzada Dawood and Suleman Dawood, and French diver Paul-Henry Nargeolet were killed in the blast.
OceanGate charges passengers USD 250,000 each to participate in the voyage. Titan’s explosion has raised questions about the safety of exploration operations on the private ocean floor.
