NTSB considers next steps in probe of cargo ship’s sinking

The El Faro, a sunken freighter, is seen on the seafloor at a depth of 15,000 feet near the Bahamas.

“There were no human remains found whatsoever, and no personal effects whatsoever”, Roth-Roffy said.

It’s been three months since of the powerful Hurricane Joaquin sunk cargo ship El Faro.

“60 Minutes” can be seen at 7:30 p.m. on CBS47 or immediately following football coverage.

Also on Sunday night, the NTSB announced that it was opening the accident docket and provided nine underwater images of the wreckage as well as more than 47 minutes of the remotely operated underwater vehicle, or ROV, video of the ship and associated debris field.

Scott Pelley reported from aboard the U.S. Navy’s salvage and diving vessel Apache for the story.

He said the footage reveals that the crew may have been swept away with the two decks.

In an interview that aired Sunday on CBS’s “60 Minutes,” marine engineer Thomas Roth-Roffy, the NTSB’s lead investigator on the case, called the inquiry “the most hard and complex investigation I’ve ever worked on” in 17 years with the agency.

“Over the years we’ve completed many investigations without the aid of recorders and other investigative tools”, NTSB Chairman Christopher A. Hart said in a statement.

While what caused the ship to sink is not known, at some point during the disaster the top two decks tore free. All 33 crew members aboard were lost at sea.

AP The force of the October 1 storm severed the navigational bridge off the El Faro, bringing it to a rest a half mile from the vessel’s stern.

After suspending their search for the data recorder in November, Roth-Roffy says they may go back to search again.