Five Dead in Submarine Disaster; Investigations Launched

Investigations into the disaster, including potential criminal liability, are being conducted by US and Canadian authorities.

The legal definition of a maritime vessel and questions of which country should take the lead in the investigation could complicate the probes.

The US Coast Guard has launched its highest level of investigation and Canada's Transportation Safety Board is also conducting an inquiry.

Legal experts suggest that potential criminal liability could fall on OceanGate's employees, operations managers, or inspectors.

If the submersible's safety concerns before the disaster are considered evidence of gross negligence, civil suits could be filed by the families of the passengers.

The US Justice Department could pursue a criminal case under the Seaman's Manslaughter Statute, but establishing jurisdiction may be difficult as OceanGate is based in Washington and has operations in the Bahamas.

On Friday, five people, including the CEO of OceanGate, Stockton Rush, died when the company's submarine, Titan, failed to resurface after a dive in the Atlantic Ocean.

The other passengers were from Pakistan, France, and the UK.

The French and British governments are also investigating the incident.

OceanGate's co-founder, Guillermo Sohnlein, who left the company in 2013, is a minority equity owner and one of the victims.

The other victims were Hamish Harding, the founder of a private equity company, Shahzada and Suleman Dawood, a father and son from a wealthy Pakistani family, and Paul-Henri Nargeolet, a renowned French diver.

The incident is being investigated by Canadian authorities, and it is unclear if there will be a criminal investigation in the US or Canada.

One legal expert notes that it may be difficult to bring a case under US maritime law since the Titan was not a traditional vessel and could not navigate the ocean's surface.