Human remains were likely recovered from the Titan submersible wreckage, the U.S. Coast Guard announced Wednesday night, nearly a week after five people aboard the submersible were presumed dead after a “catastrophic implosion.”
The remains were “carefully recovered within the wreckage at the site of the incident,” the Coast Guard said in a news release. U.S. medical professionals will analyze the remains, the Coast Guard added.
“The evidence will provide investigators from several international jurisdictions with critical insights into the cause of this tragedy,” Marine Board of Investigation Chair Captain Jason Neubauer said in the statement. “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.”
The announcement came as debris from the destroyed vessel returned to land Wednesday at a Canadian coast guard pier. Photos from the wharf in St. John’s, Newfoundland, show what appeared to be several pieces and twisted chunks of the submersible.
The Titan was about 9 feet high, 8 feet wide, 22 feet long, and weighed 25,000 pounds, according to the OceanGate, the company that led the tourist mission and operated the vessel. It was also made of carbon fiber and titanium, designed to fit five people aboard.
The debris will be further analyzed and tested as part of the ongoing investigation into why the implosion occurred. The investigation, involving several government agencies from the United States and Canada, is being led by the Coast Guard.
Search and rescue teams had found debris on the ocean floor about 1,600 feet from the bow of the Titanic on June 22, four days after it went missing. Coast Guard officials said the debris was “consistent with catastrophic loss of the pressure chamber” in the submersible and the five passengers were presumed dead.
Contributing: Camille Fine and Kayla Jimenez, USA TODAY
