Canada officials launch probe into Titan sub implosion that killed 5 people
After five people died on the Titan submersible, Canadian safety officials on Friday said they have launched an investigation into the incident as the sub’s surface ship, Polar Prince, was a Canadian-flagged ship.
Canada’s Transportation Safety Board (TSB) said it was launching a “safety investigation regarding the circumstances” of Titan’s operation, according to Reuters.
Officials said a safety team was dispatched to St. John’s, Newfoundland, about 400 miles north of the accident site, to gather information and conduct interviews.
TITAN DESTROYED IN IMPLOSION
The Titan submersible which was on its way to the Titanic wreckage was destroyed in a “catastrophic explosion” soon after it lost contact with the mother ship, killing all five crew members, according to the United States Coast Guard.
About an hour and 45 minutes into the trip to the Titanic wreckage, the Titan lost all contact. Following its missing status, a multi-national search was launched that trawled the sea for any sign of the submersible or its occupants.
The Titan, built by a US-based company called OceanGate, had made previous dives to the wreck of the Titanic.
ALL 5 CREW MEMBERS DEAD
The five who died on the Titan included Stockton Rush, founder and chief executive officer of OceanGate Expeditions, British billionaire and explorer Hamish Harding, Pakistani-born businessman Shahzada Dawood, his 19-year-old son, Suleman, and French oceanographer Paul-Henri Nargeolet.
TITAN SAFETY CONCERNS
Many deep-sea explorers and experts, including director James Cameron, have raised questions over the safety measures taken by OceanGate for their expedition to the Titanic.
Questions about Titan’s safety surfaced in 2018 during a symposium of industry experts and in a lawsuit by OceanGate’s former head of marine operations, which was settled later that year.
The disaster marks the first known fatalities in more than 60 years of civilian deep-sea exploration. But OceanGate was free to go its own way because international waters are beyond government regulation, according to industry experts.
The company has not addressed queries about its lack of industry certification or other safety issues.
