Canada seeks answers about submarine explosion while visiting Titanic wreck

CBC SCREENSHOT

AFP news agency reported on June 25 that Canadian authorities began investigating the explosion of the Titan submersible while visiting the Titanic wreck, killing five people.

“Our job is to find out what happened and why, and to determine what needs to change to reduce the risk of similar incidents occurring,” said Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) Chair Kathy Fox.

"We know everyone wants answers, especially the families and the public," she told reporters. The investigation is expected to take 18 to 24 months.

TSB investigators boarded the Canadian-flagged Polar Prince on June 24, which left St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada, on June 16, carrying the Titan submersible to the Titanic wreck site in the North Atlantic.

The Polar Prince was carrying 41 people, including 17 crew members and 24 others, including the five unlucky passengers, according to AP.

Ms Fox said she understood the international concerns and that the TSB would share the information it gathered with other agencies, such as the US National Transportation Safety Board and the US Coast Guard.

Sharing will be conducted within the bounds of Canadian law, with voice recordings and witness statements protected under the law.

The TSB typically investigates air, rail, and maritime accidents to improve transportation safety, but does not assign fault or determine civil or criminal liability.

The US Coast Guard said on June 22 that all five people on board the Titan submersible died after the vessel “catastrophically exploded”. The wreckage was found on the seabed, about 500 meters from the Titanic.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is determining whether any criminal wrongdoing was involved in the chain of events leading up to the Titan submersible disaster.