WASHINGTON: Canadian and United States government authorities announce they are starting a safety probe following the undersea implosion of the Titan submersible that killed 5 people during a tourist expedition to the wreck of the Titanic in the North Atlantic.
A debris field from the lost submersible was found on Thursday by a robotic diving vehicle deployed from a Canadian search vessel, ending five-day effort to locate the sub.
Fragments of Titan were discovered on the seabed about 488 metres (1,600 feet) from the bow of the Titanic wreck, about 4 kilometres (2.5 miles) below the surface, US Coast Guard Rear Admiral John Mauger said.
In a statement, Canada’s Transportation Safety Board said it was launching a “safety investigation regarding the circumstances of this operation” because Titan’s surface support vessel, the Polar Prince, was a Canadian-flagged ship.
The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) also said the US Coast Guard has declared the loss of the Titan submersible to be a “major marine casualty” and the coastguard will lead the investigation.
