Parts of the exploded Titan submersible with human remains recovered from the bottom of the Atlantic

Traces of the tragedy recovered from the depths of the ocean were handed over for examination

The US Coast Guard is recovering from the ocean depths the remaining parts of the exploded Titan submersible, which exploded on June 18 while descending into the North Atlantic Ocean to investigate the Titanic’s wreck.

The remaining wreckage of a submersible that exploded en route to the Titanic’s wreck, killing all five on board, deep below the surface of the Atlantic Ocean has been recovered by the U.S. Coast Guard, officials said Tuesday.

The search operation, conducted under an agreement with the U.S. Navy, was a continuation of initial recovery efforts on the ocean floor about 1,600 feet (488 meters) from the Titanic, the Coast Guard said, according to the Associated Press. Its statement said the recovery and handover of the remaining parts was completed last Wednesday, and the photo showed the 6.7-metre vessel’s stern intact.

Researchers believe Titan exploded while diving into the deep waters of the North Atlantic on June 18.

The days-long search that began after the Titan went silent attracted worldwide attention. Participants of the fateful expedition on a deep-sea submersible tried to examine the British passenger liner Titanic, which sank in 1912.

All five passengers aboard the Titan, a craft roughly the size of a minibus, died shortly after the vessel lost contact with its mother ship about 1 hour and 45 minutes after diving toward the Titanic.

The finds, recovered from the bottom of the North Atlantic last week by maritime safety engineers from the Coast Guard Investigative Office, were “successfully transferred to a U.S. port for cataloging and analysis,” the Coast Guard said in a press release.

“Additional suspected human remains were carefully recovered from the Titan wreckage and transported for analysis by U.S. medical personnel,” the press release said.

The rescue operation was a continuation of initial recovery efforts after the submersible exploded, according to the Coast Guard.

The Maritime Investigation Committee said it was coordinating with the National Transportation Safety Board and other international investigative bodies to plan a “joint evidence review” of the recovered wreckage that would determine next steps for forensic investigation.

The commission will continue to analyze evidence and interview witnesses “in anticipation of public hearings on this tragedy,” the statement said.

Titan’s failure to surface on June 18 sparked a massive international search that captured the world’s attention for days. On June 22, officials confirmed that the Titan suffered a “catastrophic explosion,” CNN recalls.

The US Coast Guard earlier said it had discovered suspected human remains along with parts of the Titan after the debris field was located at a depth of 12,500 feet (3,800 meters).

The materials were unloaded at an unnamed port, the Associated Press notes. The Coast Guard Marine Investigative Committee is continuing its analysis and interviewing witnesses ahead of a public hearing on the tragedy.

OceanGate, the operator of the lost ship, went bankrupt after the high-profile disaster. Among those killed in the explosion was Stockton Rush, a submersible pilot and the company’s CEO. Its passengers were businessman Hamish Harding, diver Paul-Henri Narjolet, Pakistani-born billionaire Shahzada Dawood and Dawood’s 19-year-old son Suleman Dawood.