The U.S. Coast Guard on Tuesday said its engineers recovered remaining debris and presumed human remains from the imploded Titan submersible in the North Atlantic.
Evidence recovered from the seafloor by marine safety engineers from the Coast Guard’s Marine Board of Investigation (MBI) was transferred to land for analysis as part of the ongoing investigation into the catastrophic incident.
The Titan exploded in June while on a voyage to the site of the famously submerged ocean liner Titanic, killing all five aboard. The OceanGate Expeditions-operated deep-sea submersible was discovered in fragments approximately 1,600 feet from the bow of the Titanic.
The Coast Guard stated that the recent salvage mission was conducted with the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Transportation Safety Board of Canada in accordance with an existing agreement with the U.S. Navy Supervisor of Salvage & Diving as a follow-up to initial recovery operations conducted in the days following the loss.
The newly recovered evidence consists of pieces of the lost submersible, such as its aft titanium endcap, and presumed human remains that were meticulously recovered for examination by U.S. medical professionals, according to the Coast Guard. All evidence was carried to a U.S. port for analysis and cataloging.
In an effort to ascertain the next steps for forensic testing, the team of international investigative agencies will schedule a joint review of the debris’ evidence.
In the meantime, the MBI will continue to analyze evidence and interrogate witnesses in preparation for a public hearing on the tragedy. No date for the hearing has been announced.
