France Millions in compensation demanded after "Titan" implosion
Around a year after the implosion of the deep-sea submersible "Titan" in the North Atlantic, the family of one of the five dead is demanding 50 million dollars (around 46 million euros) in compensation.
The operator acted with gross negligence, according to the lawsuit, which was filed with a court in Seattle in the US state of Washington on behalf of the relatives of the French scientist Paul-Henri Nargeolet, who died at the time.
Nargeolet (77) was known as "Monsieur Titanic" and was considered one of the leading experts on the wreck of the luxury liner. The five occupants of the submersible were on an expedition to the "Titanic", which sank in 1912, in June 2023 when the accident occurred. In an implosion, an object suddenly collapses if the external pressure is greater than the internal pressure.
The document presented on Thursday also states that defects and shortcomings of the submersible were not disclosed or were deliberately concealed.
"Fear and mental anguish"
According to US media, the lawsuit against the US operator Oceangate and others also states that the crew must have realized at some point that all the occupants would die and that they must therefore have experienced "fear and mental anguish". "Common sense says that the crew members knew very well before they died that they were going to die."
On board the "Titan" alongside Nargeolet were the British adventurer Hamish Harding (58), the British-Pakistani management consultant Shahzada Dawood (48) and his 19-year-old son Suleman, as well as the head of the US operating company Oceangate, Stockton Rush (61).
Experts agree that an acoustic signal warned the crew that the hull of the approximately seven-meter-long submersible was in danger of breaking under the extreme pressure. The pilot therefore tried to release weight and abort the dive.
The operator has not yet commented on the complaint, according to the reports.
"We hope that with this lawsuit we can get answers for the family as to exactly how this happened, who all was involved and how those involved could allow something like this to happen," said Tony Buzbee, one of the lawyers involved in the lawsuit.
Diving robot found debris from the submersible
Days after the disappearance of the submersible south of Newfoundland, a diving robot discovered the wreckage of the "Titanic" just 500 meters from the bow of the "Titanic" wreck. According to experts, everything indicates that the hull of the boat gave way to the enormous water pressure and imploded. The "Titanic" lies on the seabed at a depth of around 3800 meters. The luxury liner sank in 1912, killing more than 1500 people.
Oceangate had offered the deep-sea expeditions to the "Titanic" for around 250,000 dollars per person and had already undertaken them around half a dozen times, but had been confronted with safety concerns from numerous experts right from the start - as only later became public knowledge. "Titan" had not been inspected, certified or officially approved by any authority or institution for manned deep-sea dives. Standards had been circumvented and warnings disregarded, it was said.
According to Oceangate, it has since ceased all exploration and commercial activities. Investigations into the incident are underway by the US Coast Guard and the Canadian Transportation Safety Board, among others.
