RCMP to investigate deaths aboard Titan submersible, TSB reviewing logs

The Transportation Safety Board and the RCMP will be conducting separate investigations into the deaths of five people aboard the submersible Titan.

RCMP Newfoundland and Labrador Superintendent Kent Osmondsays a teamhasbeen formed for a preliminary study to determineif a full investigation is warranted, or if any laws have been broken. No timeline has been set for the preliminary inspection.

He says the case is a unique circumstance due not only to the nature of the incidentbut also to the number of jurisdictions involved.

Osmond says such a reviewdoesn'tnecessarilymean anything criminal has occurred, adding that such investigations are common, as they have jurisdiction to investigation offshore deaths.

The RCMP investigation is separate from and inaddition to the collaborative investigation being carried outby the Canadian and U.S. Transportation Safety boards. Osmond says they expect co-operation between the separate endeavours.

He says their interviews have already beginbut it's too early to tell how long such preliminary work will continue.

TSB reviewing Polar Prince bridge logs

Meanwhile, the Transportation Safety Board has begun gathering data from the Polar Prince, following the tragic loss of five people aboard the Titan earlier this week.

TSB officials spoke to media Saturday and said they havea mandate to find out why the incident happened and reduce the chance of it everhappeningagain.

They say the voyage data recorder keeps a record of all audio from the bridge, and they will be reviewing those logs.

The TSB will be collaborating with the U.S.National Transportation Safety Boardand estimate that the full investigation could take between 18 months and two years.

Meanwhile, the RCMP will be conducting a separate investigation into the incident and will provide details later Saturday afternoon.

Titan sub's support ship returns

The Polar Prince, the Miawpukek Horizon ship that towed the Oceangate submersibleTitan out to sea before its final dive, returned to St. John's harbour Saturday morning.

It representsthe end of a harrowing voyage for the support ship, which saw those on board losing connection with the submersibleon Sunday.

The Titan, a submersible used to visit the wreck of the Titanic, went missing an hour and 45 minutes into its dive, about 700 kilometres southeast of Newfoundland.

The disappearancekick-started a multiday international search effort, which culminated on Thursday when the U.S. coast guard announced that a debris field was found near the Titanic. Coast guard officails said the debris was consistent with a catastrophic loss of pressure on the submersible and declared the five men aboard as presumed dead.

While the U.S. coast guard is continuing with some recovery and salvage efforts, most Canadian ships involved in the search have either returned to port or are en route there.

The Polar Prince had been involved with the search effort throughout the week and was carrying family members of some of the five missing crew. Its return to St. John's comes in the wake of the Transportation Safety Board of Canada's announcement that it will be investigating the Polar Prince's role in the Titan's operations.

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