"Presumed" human remains were recovered from within the shattered hulk of a submersible that
imploded while on a voyage to the century-old wreck of the Titanic earlier this month, the US Coast Guard says.
In a statement, the coast guard said it had recovered debris and evidence from the sea floor and that included what it described as presumed human remains.
"I am grateful for the co-ordinated international and inter-agency support to recover and preserve this vital evidence at extreme offshore distances and depths," US coast guard Chief Captain Jason Neubauer said in a statement on Wednesday.
"The evidence will provide investigators from several international jurisdictions with critical insights into the cause of this tragedy. 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."
Earlier a ship that had been searching for the ill-fated Titan submersible arrived back in port in Newfoundland, Canada, with debris from the destroyed vessel.
The Canadian-flagged Horizon Arctic carried a remotely operated vehicle, or ROV, that searched the ocean floor not far from the wreck of the Titanic about 700km south of Newfoundland.
Photos from the wharf on Wednesday showed what appeared to be several pieces of the submersible being lifted from the ship, including the nose cone with its distinctive circular window.
The Titan was destroyed in a catastrophic implosion during its June 18 descent to the Titanic site almost 4km below the surface of the sea, resulting in the deaths of all five passengers and crew.
The US coast guard declared the men dead on Thursday after the ROV spotted the Titan's wreckage about 500 metres from the bow of the sunken luxury liner.
The ROV's owners Pelagic Research Services said its team is "still on mission" and cannot comment on the ongoing Titan investigation, which involves several government agencies in the US and Canada.
"They have 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," the company's statement said.
The US coast guard is leading the investigation into why the submersible imploded during its June 18 descent.
Officials announced on June 22 the submersible had imploded and all five people on board were dead.
Killed in the implosion were Ocean Gate CEO and pilot Stockton Rush; two members of a prominent Pakistani family, Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood; British adventurer Hamish Harding; and Titanic expert Paul-Henri Nargeolet.
With AP
© AP 2023