OceanGate submersible Titan above water.Photo:Ocean Gate/Handout/Anadolu Agency/Getty
Ocean Gate/Handout/Anadolu Agency/Getty
Investigators are gathering evidence as they assess the circumstances surrounding the deaths of five individuals who were aboard theTitansubmersible when it imploded.
The United States Coast Guardannounced Sundaythat a Marine Board of Investigation (MBI) has convened to investigate “the loss of theTitansubmersible and the five people on board.”
The evidence-gathering phase of the investigation is currently underway as crews prioritize recovering items from the incident site, MBI Chairman and Coast Guard Captain Jason D. Neubauer told reporters at a press conference in Boston on Sunday.
OceanGate submersible Titan.Ocean Gate / Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
Ocean Gate / Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
Officials have not offered an estimate for what it cost to conduct the four-day search — which one official said covered an area twice the size of Connecticut.
However, during Sunday’s press conference, Coast Guard Rear Admiral John Mauger said that the Coast Guard “doesn’t charge for search and rescue, nor do we associate a cost with human life.”
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Five peoplewere aboard the OceanGate sub when itimplodedduring its journey to theTitanicon Father’s Day. On Thursday, authorities told reporters that adebris field was foundnear the originalTitanicwreckage.
OceanGate was charging $250,000 per passenger to dive down and view theTitanic, per multiple reports.
OceanGate submersible Titan.Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
Officials said the investigation is still in its early stages. Interviews with individuals connected to the incident have already begun.
Crew members from thePolar Prince, the Canadian research vessel whichTitanlaunched from, are among those being interviewed, according toThe Washington Post
Miawpukek Horizon Maritime Services, which owns thePolar Prince, did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment. The company told thePostthat it is cooperating fully with authorities.
The MBI’s main objective is todetermine what caused the incident, Neubauer said at Sunday’s press conference.
Investigators are also tasked with determining if any laws were broken, and if further action should be taken, according to the Coast Guard’s press release, shared Sunday.
The MBI can make recommendations aboutcriminalorcivil sanctions“as necessary,” Neubauer explained.
Investigators will also assess “whether there is need for new laws or regulations,” or whether an “amendment or repeal of existing laws or regulations” is needed to avoid similar tragedies in the future, the Coast Guard said in its release.
The MBI “is working in close coordination” with authorities from various countries — including the U.S., Canada, France and the United Kingdom — as it investigates the tragedy, according to the Coast Guard.
A report will be issued at the conclusion of the investigation.
source: people.com
