Pieces of the submersible that imploded during a voyage to the Titanic shipwreck were hauled ashore in Canada on Wednesday, providing the first glimpse of the doomed vessel since its dramatic demise.
A video and photos show at least three pieces of the OceanGate submersible being moved from the Horizon Arctic vessel at the Canadian Coast Guard pier in St. John’s, Newfoundland.
Authorities discovered a “debris field” near the wreck of the Titanic late last week while searching for the missing submersible and it was later revealed that the U.S. Navy detected what it believed to be an implosion just hours after the vessel started its journey to the Titanic.
The U.S.-based Pelagic Research Services handled the recovery, according to a news release posted on Facebook.
“Our team has successfully completed off-shore operations, but is still on mission and will be in the process of demobilization from the Horizon Arctic this morning,” the statement read. “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.”
“Due to confidentiality and duty of non-disclosure, no member of the Pelagic Research Services team can comment on, nor provide any information related to, the ongoing Titan investigation. Please refer all questions to U.S. Coast Guard Media Relations,” it added.
The U.S. Coastguard provided an update Thursdady revealing all five of the passengers on the missing Titan submersible were presumed dead in a “catastrophic implosion.”
“We now believe that our CEO Stockton Rush, Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood, Hamish Harding, and Paul-Henri Nargeolet, have sadly been lost,” OceanGate announced in a statement following the Coast Guard’s update.
“These men were true explorers who shared a distinct spirit of adventure, and a deep passion for exploring and protecting the world’s oceans,” the statement added. “Our hearts are with these five souls and every member of their families during this tragic time. We grieve the loss of life and joy they brought to everyone they knew.”
This was a breaking news story. The details were periodically updated as more information became available.
