"Presumed" human remains have been found in the area where authorities were searching for wreckage of the Titanic submersible, the US Coast Guard says.
"United States medical professionals will conduct a formal analysis of presumed human remains that have been carefully recovered within the wreckage at the site of the incident," the Coast Guard said in a statement.
The search for the wreckage of the Titan, a submersible exploring the wreckage of the Titanic, began last week after a "catastrophic implosion" killed all five people onboard.
"I am grateful for the coordinated international and interagency support to recover and preserve this vital evidence at extreme offshore distances and depths," said Cpt Jason Neubauer, the chair of the Marine Board Investigation (MBI) into the tragedy. The evidence will provide investigators from several international jurisdictions with critical insights into the cause of this tragedy.
"There is still a substantial amount of work to be done to understand the factors that led to the catastrophic loss of the TITAN and help ensure a similar tragedy does not occur again."
Earlier, the first pieces of the imploded Titan submersible arrived back on shore - with shattered fragments being pulled up by a crane and onto a truck at the St John's Habour in Canada's Newfoundland.
Authorities hoped the debris would shed more light on what caused the implosion.
"The MBI will continue evidence collection and witness interviews to inform a public hearing regarding this tragedy," the Coast Guard said.
