Oceangate titan submersible remains reopen old wounds

The debris and human remains of the Oceangate Titan submersible expedition have  recovered debris and human remains from the infamous wreck.

Additional wreckage and what are believed to be human remains have been retrieved from a privately owned submersible that experienced a catastrophic failure in June during a mission to the Titan, as confirmed by the US Coast Guard.

All five occupants aboard the recreational submersible, named Titan and operated by the US-based company OceanGate, tragically lost their lives when the vessel collapsed. This event is thought to have occurred during its descent on June 18.

The submersible's malfunction was officially declared on June 22, concluding a multi-day rescue operation that garnered global attention.

In response to the incident, the Coast Guard has initiated its most extensive investigation, known as a Marine Board of Investigation.

On October 4, the US Coast Guard said in a statement, “Marine safety engineers with the Coast Guard’s Marine Board of Investigation (MBI) recovered and transferred remaining Titan submersible debris and evidence from the North Atlantic Ocean seafloor.”

The statement added, “Additional presumed human remains were carefully recovered from within Titan’s debris and transported for analysis by US medical professionals.”

In late June, further remnants and presumed human remains were also retrieved.

The Coast Guard stated that it was collaborating with the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and other international investigative agencies to arrange a collective review of the recovered Titan debris.

The five individuals aboard the Titan included British explorer Hamish Harding, French submarine expert Paul-Henri Nargeolet, Pakistani-British tycoon Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman, and Stockton Rush, CEO of the sub's operator, OceanGate Expeditions.

A debris field was located at a distance of 1,600 feet (500 meters) from the Titanic's bow, resting 400 miles off the coast of Newfoundland.

The victims were presumed to have perished instantaneously when the Titan, approximately the size of an SUV, collapsed under the immense pressure of the North Atlantic, at a depth of over two miles (nearly four kilometers).

Both the US Coast Guard and Canadian authorities have initiated investigations into the cause of this tragedy, which occurred after the Titan lost contact about one hour and 45 minutes after submerging.

According to a report from the BBC, documents from a US court, uncovered after the implosion, revealed that OceanGate's CEO had disregarded safety warnings regarding the submersible.