According to a report released on Wednesday by the US Coast Guard, presumed human remains have been found inside the Titan’s wreckage, the submersible that sank earlier this month en route to the Titanic.
According to officials, the Coast Guard will deliver the evidence found in the North Atlantic to a US port where medical experts would formally analyze the remains.
“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,” said Jason Neubauer, a chair captain with the Marine Board of Investigation.
The information was released over a week after authorities revealed they had discovered the craft’s wreckage after an extensive multinational search and rescue operation. The craft vanished while attempting to dive into the Titanic disaster two miles below the surface. The Coast Guard stated last week that the five crew members aboard the submersible were likely instantly killed in a “catastrophic implosion.”
On Wednesday morning, pieces of the wrecked vessel washed up in Newfoundland, Canada. Officials stated the evidence will help in the investigation of the disaster and provide information on the experimental design, safety standards, and lack of certification of the vessel.
Large sections of metal that resembled the white hull of the Titan and the landing skids that were used to make contact with the seabed arrived at St. John’s on Wednesday by the Canadian freighter Horizon Arctic. Among the debris found on the submersible, which was launched from a ship on June 18 and lost communication with the surface an hour and 45 minutes later, were twisted cables and other things probably used in its mechanics.
An important aspect of the investigation to determine what went wrong is retrieving the debris. Industry professionals have long questioned the craft’s design and questioned OceanGate, the US corporation that operated the submersible, about its safety record.
The world had been anxiously awaiting news of the ship prior to the wreckage being discovered on the ocean floor, not far from the Titanic tragedy itself. Millions of people watched media coverage to find out if the sub would be located before its oxygen reserves ran out.
