US Coast Guard to lead investigation into doomed Titanic tourist sub

The US Coast Guard and Transportation Safety Board of Canada are leading investigations into the Titan submersible implosion this past week.

The five-man crew on board the OceanGate Expeditions’ vessel died on the trip to the oceanfloor to view the wreckage of the Titanic, officials confirmed.

Follow live coverage of the missing Titanic sub

An ex-OceanGate employee, former passengers and submersible industry experts have said that there were warning signs over the sub’s safety.

The US Coast Guard declared the incident a “major marine casualty” and will lead an investigation assisted by the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), according to a statement tweeted on Friday.

The Transportation Safety Board (TSB) of Canada is also launching an investigation into the submersible implosion, according to a press release. The TSB is an independent agency that investigates air, marine, pipeline and rail transportation occurrences.

A team of investigators was travelling to St John’s in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador to collect information, conduct interviews and assess the incident, TSB said.

It is unclear if other countries will join these investigations or carry out their own probes after a massive international operation to find the missing vessel.

The four-day search and rescue effort ended on Thursday after the US Coast Guard announced they found debris from the Titan approximately 1,600 feet from the Titanic wreckage.

The debris included the submersible’s pressure chamber, Rear Admiral John Mauger said.

Authorities initial statements have pointed to an implosion that would have instantly killed the five passengers - Stockton Rush, Paul-Henri Nargeloet, Hamish Harding, Shahzada Dawood and Suleman Dawood.

The US Coast Guard told The Independent that public updates on the investigation will be made on the Twitter account of the agency’s First District.