The US Coast Guard has recovered human remains and debris from the Titan submersible that imploded on its way to the wreckage of the Titanic underneath the Atlantic Ocean.
The submersible had imploded while carrying five people in June this year, sparking an international search, rescue and recovery operation and grabbing international headlines.
OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, French diver Paul-Henri Nargeolet, British billionaire Hamish Harding, Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his teenage son Suleman Dawood all died in the implosion.
Officials on Tuesday confirmed that the retrieval and transportation of the remaining components were finalised on Wednesday last week.
A photograph depicted the undamaged rear titanium endcap of the 22ft submersible. The Coast Guard reported that they also recovered additional presumed human remains from within the Titan’s wreckage, which were subsequently sent for analysis by US medical experts.
The salvage mission carried out in accordance with an agreement with the US Navy served as a follow-up to the initial recovery efforts conducted on the ocean floor, situated approximately 1,600ft from the Titanic, according to the Coast Guard.
US Coast Guard marine safety engineers conduct a survey of the aft titanium endcap from the Titan submersible— (AP)
The Coast Guard had previously said they had retrieved presumed human remains and portions of the Titan after discovering the debris field at a depth of 12,500ft.
OceanGate Expeditions, the company that launched the doomed Titan submersible trip, ceased operations soon after the incident.
“OceanGate has suspended all exploration and commercial operations,” read a small message in the top-left corner of OceanGate’s website.
The Titan submersible, experts predicted, was likely to have “collapsed in milliseconds” and killed its five-member crew instantly.
The Titan had lost contact with its mothership, the Polar Prince, and around eight hours after losing contact, OceanGate Expeditions reported it missing to the Coast Guard.
