Confirmation of the death of the crew aboard the submarine who went missing during a dive to visit the Titanic wreck means that the massive search operation launched in the waters of the Atlantic has new priorities.

The U.S. Coast Guard confirmed Thursday afternoon that all five men on board died after what was likely a “catastrophic implosion” of the OceanGate-owned Titan.

But many questions remain about what happened exactly and from now on the teams will do their best to answer them.

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The president of OceanGate Expeditions was one of five occupants of the submarine Titan. Photo: GETTY IMAGES

Will the bodies be recovered?

Coast Guard Vice Admiral John Mauger said he could not confirm whether his agency will be able to locate the bodies of the victims.

“This is a incredibly brutal environment“, said.

On board were wealthy British businessmen Hamish Harding and Shahzada Dawood, with their son Suleman.

OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush was also part of the crew, along with former French Navy diver Paul-Henry Nargeolet.

What happens to the quest?

It is not clear at this stage which body will lead the investigation as there is no protocol for this type of submarine incident.

Vice Admiral John Mauger announced the discovery of the submarine’s wreckage. Photo: GETTY IMAGES

Mauger specified that it is particularly complex because the incident took place in a remote part of the oceaninvolving people of different nationalities.

But since the U.S. Coast Guard played a leading role in the operation, it probably is continue to play a prominent role.

He said they would continue to investigate the area where the remains were found and all that several boats, medical personnel and technicians remain in the area.

The teams will be demobilized within 24 hours.

The United States Coast Guard plays a very important role in this mission. Photo: GETTY IMAGES

The Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) operating on the seabed around the Titanic will also continue for the time being.

“I don’t have a timeline at this point for when we’ll stop remote seafloor operations,” Mauger noted.

What about the underwater wreck?

It is essential to collect as much debris as possible, including fragments of the carbon fiber with which it is made part of the boat so authorities can reconstruct what happened.

The efforts to map the area in which parts of Titan were found continues.

Paul Hankin, a submarine expert, explained that so far they found five pieces important remains, which allowed us to confirm that it was the missing submarine.

Parts are incl the nose cone and terminal bells front and back of the pressure helmet.

How is the incident investigated?

Vice Admiral Mauger said governments of countries involved in the incident are in talks How can they investigate?

The goal is to confirm the theory that an implosion caused the deaths of those aboard the Titan and, if so, when and why did it happen.

At this time, the Transport Safety Board of Canada (TSB) has announced that it has launched an investigation into the implosion of the submarine.

A team of TSB investigators will leave Newfoundland to “gather information, conduct interviews and assess the event.” Other agencies are expected to participate in this operation.

Search service company Pelagic also said it is conducting a new mission to the location where the ship fragments were found to map and document the area, as well as assist in recovering evidence.

This company operates the Odysseus, the unmanned underwater vehicle that discovered the Titan fragments and so far the only one to reach the location at a depth of 3,800 meters.

From left to right, top: Shahzada and Suleman Dawood, Hamish Harding. Below: Paul-Henry Nargeolet, Stockton Rush. Photo: GETTY IMAGES

Waiting for important clues

Looking ahead, Rear Admiral Mauger believes there will be a review of regulations and standards for this type of underwater mission, although he stressed that this is not within his remit.

Another source of possible information about what What exactly happened to the Titan? they could be hydrophones, underwater microphones used to listen for evidence of illegal nuclear weapons.

These tools helped determine that the Argentine submarine ARA San Juan imploded after it disappeared off the coast of the country in 2017.

It’s possible the hydrophones detected the end of the Titan and could provide clues to the exact moment the tragedy occurred.

US Navy detected sounds “resembling an implosion” shortly after OceanGate’s Titan submarine lost contact, a Navy official said.