Hearing begins on the deaths of the five victims of the Titanic’s deep-sea expedition

A hearing begins on Monday into the deaths of the five people who died when a submersible imploded while diving to the wreck of the Titanic.

British adventurer Hamish Harding and father and son Shahzada and Suleman Dawood died on board the ocean-going vessel in June last year, along with French citizen Paul-Henri Nargeolet.

Stockton Rush, the CEO of OceanGate Expeditions, which led the expedition, was also killed.

The ocean-going vessel was on an expedition to the wreck of the Titanic, about 435 miles south of St. John’s, Newfoundland, when it lost contact with the tour operator one hour and 45 minutes into the two-hour descent. Eight hours after the loss of communication, the ship was reported missing.

A hearing of a naval commission of inquiry into the tragedy will open on Monday in Charleston, South Carolina.

Over the course of two weeks, the investigation will hear from 24 witnesses, including former OceanGate executives.

Jason Neubauer, chairman of the Titan Marine Board of Investigation, held a press conference on Sunday before the hearing.

“Over the past 15 months, our team has worked continuously in close coordination with multiple federal agencies, international partners and industry experts to uncover the facts surrounding this incident,” he said.

“This procedure is not just a formality,” he said.

“They represent a critical step in our efforts to understand the factors that led to this incident and, more importantly, to identify the actions needed to prevent similar incidents.”

He said the purpose of the hearing was to uncover the facts, but if they found evidence of a crime, they would present those findings to the U.S. Department of Justice.

“Our job is also to uncover misconduct or negligence by seafarers. If we detect a crime, we can make a recommendation to the Ministry of Justice,” he said.