Titan sub: ‘presumed human remains’ found in wreckage following a ‘catastrophic’ implosion that killed 5

The United States Coast Guard has said that ‘presumed human remains’ have been recovered  from the wreckage of the Titan submersible. Debris from the craft was found on Wednesday (June 28).

Officials believe that five men, which included three British citizens, died when the submersible, which was set to explore the Titanic wreckage, imploded. A search was launched looking for the craft.

In a statement, the US Coast Guard said: "United States medical professionals will conduct a formal analysis of presumed human remains that have been carefully recovered within the wreckage at the site of the incident."

Captain Jason Neubauer, who is leading the investigation into the tragedy, added: "I am grateful for the coordinated international and interagency support to recover and preserve this vital evidence at extreme offshore distances and depths.

"The evidence will provide investigators from several international jurisdictions with critical insights into the cause of this tragedy. There is still a substantial amount of work to be done to understand the factors that led to the catastrophic loss of the Titan and help ensure a similar tragedy does not occur again."

The search was launched on Sunday, June 18 after Titan lost communication with its mother ship, the Polar Prince. The craft was one hour and 45 minutes into its two hour descent towards the Titanic wreckage.