Suleman Dawood, the youngest passenger on the OceanGate Expeditions’ Titan, reportedly expressed his hesitation about the trip in the days leading up to the expedition to the bottom of the sea, his aunt says.
But ultimately he went with his father, Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood, because the trip fell over Father’s Day weekend and he wanted to please him.
Azmeh Dawood, Shahzada’s older sister, told NBC News, her nephew “wasn’t very up for it” and felt “terrified” about the trip to the Titanic.
The 19-year-old decided to go on the expedition because he was eager to please his father who had been “absolutely obsessed” with the Titanic from a young age.
Azhmeh recalled the siblings watching film after film about the wreckage and visiting museums about the ship, so she wasn’t surprised to hear her younger brother had purchased tickets for OceanGate’s latest mission.
“I am thinking of Suleman, who is 19, in there, just perhaps gasping for breath … It’s been crippling, to be honest,” she said.
After the U.S. Coast Guard revealed the Titan likely suffered a “catastrophic implosion,” Azmeh said she was in “disbelief”.
“It’s an unreal situation.”
In the days leading up to the discovery of the debris field, Azmeh found herself glued to her television.
“I feel like I’ve been caught in a really bad film, with a countdown, but you didn’t know what you’re counting down to,” she said. “I personally have found it kind of difficult to breathe thinking of them.”
The Dawood family has now asked that everyone “keep the departed souls and our family in your prayers.” They have also expressed their gratitude for the search teams for their “untiring efforts.”
Our thoughts are with the Dawood family and all of the victims of the horrific deep sea implosion.
READ MORE:
- Missing submarine update: debris found on ocean floor near Titanic as sub loses oxygen supply
- UPDATE: Debris of missing submersible found near Titanic wreck, all passengers presumed dead
