The US Coast Guard has said investigators probing the Titanic disaster are "taking every precaution" in case they find bodies on the seabed. Captain Jason Neubauer, who is leading the investigation, said it was a "priority" to salvage the wreckage after parts of the ship were found on Thursday about 487 metres (1600 feet) from the Titanic wreck in the Atlantic.
The discovery led officials to conclude that the Titan had suffered a “catastrophic explosion” that killed the five men on board. Speaking at a press conference on Sunday, Cpt Neubauer suggested that no human remains had been found so far. He told reporters: “I’m not going into the details of the recovery operations, but we are taking all precautions in place in case we come across any human remains.” “At the moment, the priority of the investigation is to recover items from the seabed. We have already mapped the accident site on the ground, so other factors will be part of the investigation,” he said.
He also revealed that the UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch is working “in close coordination” with the US Coast Guard to determine what happened as part of the Maritime Board of Investigation (MBI) investigation. The review will examine “whether an act of misconduct, incompetence, negligence, incompetence or wilful breach of law” contributed to the men’s deaths. Investigators will then publish a report of their findings and possible recommendations, which could include individuals being “referred to the appropriate authorities for prosecution”.
Rear Admiral John Mauger – who led the search – said at the same press conference that he had been in touch with the families of the men who died to keep them updated. He also revealed that crews had searched a total of 13,000 square miles using 11 ships, five submersibles and four “air assets”.
Since Friday, remotely operated vehicles, known as ROVs, have continued to scan the area as part of a scaled-down search for evidence of what happened. Meanwhile, the Titan's mother ship, the Polar Prince, returned to port on Saturday. Police in Canada have confirmed that their officers are also looking into the tragedy. Superintendent Kent Osmond, of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, said a team of investigators had been formed with the "sole purpose" of determining whether a criminal investigation was warranted.
(BalkanWeb)
