The rescue mission for the Titanic submarine that imploded with five people on including Glasgow student Suleman Dawood has officially come to an end, the Mirror has reported.
Pelagic Research Services, who led the recovery operation, has said it has now "successfully completed offshore operations" and was in the process of demobilisation.
A crew has been "working around the clock now for ten days, through the physical and mental challenges of this operation, and are anxious to finish the mission and return to their loved ones," Pelagic Research Services said in its statement.
It's not known currently whether further recovery work could be carried out but, more importantly, if the remains of the five men will ever be found.
The Strathclyde Uni student Suleman and his dad Shahzada were killed on board the deep-sea vessel alongside British adventurer Hamish Harding, OceanGate Expeditions’ chief executive, Stockton Rush, and French national Paul-Henri Nargeolet.
The US Coast Guard said on Wednesday that human remains have likely been recovered from the wreckage of the submersible that imploded during an underwater voyage to view the Titanic.
Images emerged on Wednesday of large pieces of debris from Titan after they were transported to shore in St John’s, Canada. The pictures showed a crane unloading the wreckage from the Horizon Arctic ship in the city’s harbour.
The investigation into why the Titan imploded last week, killing all five people on board, involves recovering and scrutinising the wreckage.
"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," Coast Guard Chief Capt. Jason Neubauer said in a statement released late Wednesday afternoon.
The "presumed human remains" will be brought to the United States, where medical professionals will conduct a formal analysis, Neubauer said. He added that the Coast Guard has convened an investigation of the implosion at the highest level.
The Marine Board of Investigation will analyze and test evidence, including pieces of debris, at a port in the US and there will eb a public hearing in due course.
Neubauer said the evidence will provide "critical insights" into the cause of the implosion.
The Titan, which is believed to have imploded on June 18 as it made its descent, was located about 12,500 feet (3,810 meters) underwater and roughly 1,600 feet from the Titanic on the ocean floor. The Coast Guard is leading the investigation, in conjunction with several other government agencies in the US and Canada.
Authorities have not disclosed details of the debris recovery
OceanGate is based in the U.S. and OceanGate Expeditions, a related company that led the Titan's dives to the Titanic, is registered in the Bahamas.
The company charged passengers $250,000 each to participate in the voyage. The implosion of the Titan has raised questions about the safety of private undersea exploration operations. The Coast Guard wants to use the investigation to improve the safety of submersibles.
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