Titan sub investigation to hear from 24 expert witnesses after five people died in disaster
16 September 2024, 10:14
A two-week investigation into the Titan sub disaster which killed five people will hear from a string of expert witnesses in a bid to stop a similar incident ever happening again.
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The Oceangate Titan submersible imploded in June last year while diving to the wreck of the Titanic.
British adventurer Hamish Harding and father and son Shahzada and Suleman Dawood were killed on board the deep-sea vessel along with French national Paul-Henri Nargeolet.
OceanGate boss Stockton Rush was also killed.
The sub lost contact an hour and 45 minutes into the two-hour descent to the wreckage - and was reported missing eight hours after communication was lost.
After days of searching, wreckage from the submersible was recovered from the ocean floor near the Titanic.
The marine board of investigation hearing begins today in Charleston, South Carolina.
24 witnesses will be called over the next two weeks, including former OceanGate staff.
Jason Neubauer, chairman of the Titan Marine Board of Investigation said: ““Over the past 15 months, our team has worked continuously, in close co-ordination with multiple federal agencies, international partners and industry experts to uncover the facts surrounding this incident.
“These proceedings are not just a formality.
“They are a critical step in our mission to understand the contributing factors that led to the incident and, more importantly, the actions needed to prevent a similar occurrence.”
The purpose of the hearing is to establish the facts that led to the disaster. They said that if any evidence of criminal acts was uncovered, they would be presented to the US Department of Justice.
