Toronto/CMEDIA: Canadian authorities have launched Saturday a probe into the fatal accident involving the Canadian-flagged vessel Polar Prince and the privately-operated submersible Titan, which reportedly imploded and killed all five people on board.
There were 17 crew members and 24 people on board the Polar Prince, out of which five people were on board the Titan .
Approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes reportedly after the submersible began its descent, the support vessel lost contact, according to the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB).
The US Coast Guard confirmed on Thursday that the debris found on the ocean floor near the Titanic wreckage consisted of pieces of the missing submersible, and the five people on board the Titan were presumed dead.
“In accordance with the Canadian Transportation Accident Investigation and Safety Board Act and international agreements, the TSB, as the investigation authority of the flag state of the support vessel involved in the occurrence, will conduct a safety investigation regarding the circumstances of this operation conducted by the Canadian-flagged vessel Polar Prince,” said the agency.
A team of TSB investigators would reportedly travel to St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador for more investigation.
The five passengers included Hamish Harding, a billionaire and explorer; Paul-Henry Nargeolet, a French explorer; Shahzada Dawood and his son, Suleman Dawood, members of a prominent Pakistani family; and OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush.
The bodies of the five explorers are reportedly not likely to be recovered.
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