The U.S. Coast Guard has recovered remaining debris, including presumed human remains, from the Titan submersible that imploded in June while on its way to explore the wreck of the Titanic.
The search for the Titan sub and its five passengers captured international attention after the vessel lost contact with the surface shortly into its dive. Rescuers raced to locate the sub before its 96-hour supply of oxygen ran out, but the rescue mission soon turned to one of recovery after a debris field was found that was “consistent with a catastrophic implosion of the vessel.”
More debris and evidence were found on the North Atlantic seafloor, the Coast Guard announced Wednesday, as part of a follow-up to the initial recovery efforts for the Titan sub.
Investigators from the Transportation Safety Board of Canada and the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board joined the salvage mission, which concluded on Oct. 4, as these agencies continue to probe the incident.
The new evidence that was recovered includes “additional presumed human remains” that were “carefully recovered from within Titan’s debris,” the Coast Guard said. The remains will be examined by U.S. medical professionals.
The Coast Guard first announced the discovery of presumed human remains in the Titan wreck on June 28, after earlier comments that suggested the remains of the five passengers would never be found due to the nature of the implosion.
The evidence recovered last week also includes the intact titanium endcap on the rear of the vessel, of which the Coast Guard shared a photo.
U.S. Coast Guard marine safety engineers conduct a survey of the aft titanium endcap from the Titan submersible, in the North Atlantic Ocean, on Oct. 1, 2023. The endcap was recently recovered from the seafloor and successfully transferred to a U.S. port for analysis.
U.S. National Transportation Safety Board via AP
The recovered evidence was transported to an unnamed U.S. port for cataloguing and analysis, the agency said.
The Coast Guard is coordinating with international investigative agencies for a “joint evidence review” of the recovered debris. In the meantime, the Coast Guard will continue examining evidence and interviewing witnesses ahead of a public hearing regarding the tragedy. This hearing has yet to be scheduled.
Investigators believe the Titan sub imploded shortly after it made its descent into deep North Atlantic waters on June 18. The crew onboard were attempting to view the wreck of the Titanic, which sank in 1912.
The sub was operated by OceanGate, which has since gone out of business. The CEO of the company, Stockton Rush, died onboard the vessel. The four other passengers who died were Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his 19-year-old son Suleman, billionaire adventurer Hamish Harding, and French explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet.
OceanGate charged passengers US$250,000 for the voyage to view the Titanic shipwreck.
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