Human remains are believed to have been recovered with the wreckage of the mini-submarine Titan, which imploded last week while on an expedition to the Titanic wreckage in the North Atlantic. The US Coast Guard declared this on Wednesday, international news agencies report.
The Coast Guard made the announcement hours after debris from the Titan, recovered from the ocean floor at a depth of 3,800 meters near the bow of the Titanic, was brought ashore by the Canadian ship Horizon Arctic in St. John’s, Newfoundland. Twisted debris from the submarine was unloaded at a Canadian Coast Guard pier.
Salvage and examination of the wreckage are part of the investigation into the cause of the OceanGate Expeditions vessel’s implosion, which killed all five people on board. The “suspected human remains” will be transferred to the United States for analysis, the Coast Guard said. No information has been released about the nature of the remains.
Dangling wires
On images of the Canadian broadcaster CBC showed how, among other things, the nose of the submarine and other shattered parts were hoisted from the deck of the Horizon Arctic by crane. Also visible was a destroyed part of the fuselage and a device with dangling wires.
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Both the Canadian Transportation Safety Board and the US Marine Board of Investigation are investigating the implosion. It is believed that the Titan imploded on Sunday, June 18 during its descent to Titanic. After an intensive, large-scale search that attracted worldwide interest, debris was found on the ocean floor last Thursday.
The submarine was piloted by Stockton Rush, the head of OceanGate, owner of the Titan. Also on board were British billionaire Hamish Harding, Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman, and French explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet.