Watch a live view of St John’s Harbor in Newfoundland, Canada, after five people aboard the missing Titan submersible died in a “catastrophic implosion”.
OceanGate Expeditions founder and CEO Stockton Rush, British billionaire Hamish Harding, renowned French diver Paul-Henri Nargeolet, Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his 19-year-old son Suleman were all aboard the vessel.
An investigation into the incident will be carried out by the US Coast Guard, the National Transportation Safety Board has said.
“The US Coast Guard has declared the loss of the Titan submersible to be a major marine casualty and will lead the investigation,” they tweeted on Friday.
“The NTSB has joined the investigation and will contribute to their efforts. The USCG is handling all media inquiries related to this investigation.”
Canada, the UK and France could have taken a lead on the probe.
The investigation comes as the US Coast Guard suggested that the bodies of the five passengers may never be recovered from the floor of the Atlantic.