The 19-year-old ‘Titan’ passenger went with him because he wanted to make his father happy. That’s why we’re more interested in a missing submarine than drowning refugees

Suleman Dawood left on Sunday at barely 19 years old to visit an extraordinary tourist attraction: the wreck of the “Titanic” at a depth of about 3,800 meters. This expedition cost him, his father Shahzada and three other people their lives. According to initial findings, the “Titan” imploded and gave the passengers no chance of survival.

The 19-year-old’s aunt, Azmeh Dawood, said her cousin had expressed concern about the risky journey. He told a relative that he was “not looking forward to the trip” and was afraid of the plunge. Amzeh Dawood said Suleman then decided to participate for his father’s sake. He wanted to make him happy on Father’s Day. Her brother Shahzada was very interested in the “Titanic”. The father would have given his son the trip as a gift.

“It’s an Unreal Situation”

Dawood got very emotional in the NBC interview: “I think of Suleman, who’s 19 and he could gasp in there… It was grueling, to be honest.” The days after the disappearance of the submarine were very agonizing for her. “It’s an unreal situation. (…) I feel like I’m in a bad movie with a countdown where you don’t know where you’re headed.” It’s hard for her to breathe when she thinks about her brother and cousin, she told NBC News.

Azmeh and Shahzada are descendants of one of the most prominent business dynasties in Pakistan. Named after the family, the Dawood Hercules Corp. invests in agriculture, healthcare and other industries.

According to the report, the relationship between Azmeh and Shahzada Dawood has deteriorated in recent years. Still, the sadness is great now. “He was my little brother,” she said. “I held him up when he was born.”

She recalled that Shahzada was “absolutely obsessed” with the “Titanic” from an early age. As children in Pakistan, the Dawood siblings watched the 1958 film A Night to Remember, a British drama about the cruise ship sinking.

Not surprised by joining Oceangate mission

Azmeh was not surprised when she learned that her brother had bought tickets for the Oceangate mission. However, she herself would not have dared to dive: “If you had given me a million dollars,” she said, “I would not have boarded the ‘Titan’.”

After days of feverish searches, the U.S. Coast Guard announced on Thursday that wreckage of the missing Titan with five people aboard had been found near the wreckage of the Titanic. There is no chance of survival for the residents. The authorities assume an implosion due to the collapse of the pressure chamber. (t-online, lw)