Aunt Speaks Out: 19-Year-Old Pakistani College Student's Fearful Dive Into Titanic Wreckage Ends In Catastrophic Implosion

Written By BlabberBuzz | Sunday, 25 June 2023 04:30 PM
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Aunt Speaks Out: 19-Year-Old Pakistani College Student's Fearful Dive Into Titanic Wreckage Ends In Catastrophic Implosion

The youngest person to die in the implosion of OceanGate's Titan submarine, a 19-year-old Pakistani college student, was reportedly "terrified" about going on the deep-sea journey to the Titanic wreckage, according to his aunt, Azmeh Dawood.

In an interview with NBC News, Azmeh revealed that her nephew, Suleman Dawood, had informed a relative that he "wasn't very up for it" but went on the excursion anyway because it happened over Father's Day weekend. His dad Shazada, whom he wanted to please, was passionate about the sunken ocean liner. Azmeh expressed her disbelief following an announcement from U.S. Coast Guard Rear Admiral John Mauger that underwater debris found Thursday was "consistent with a catastrophic implosion of the vessel."

Shahzada Dawood, Suleman's father, was among the wealthiest men in Pakistan, with most of his family's wealth arising from Dawood Hercules Corporation Limited, an investment company. At a young age, Shahzada was "absolutely obsessed" with the story of the Titanic and would frequently watch the 1958 film about it, "A Night to Remember," Azmeh told NBC News. Growing up, he reportedly enjoyed visiting museum exhibitions containing artifacts recovered from the 1912 disaster.

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The other people who died this week have been identified as OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, British businessman turned adventurer Hamish Harding, and Paul-Henry Nargeolet, a former French navy officer and leading Titanic expert. Mauger's announcement Thursday came hours after the Coast Guard alerted the public that a deep-sea remotely operated vehicle had discovered the floor of the Atlantic Ocean.

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"The debris is consistent with the catastrophic loss of the pressure chamber. Upon this determination, we immediately notified the families," Mauger told reporters gathered in Boston. "On behalf of the United States Coast Guard and the entire unified command, I offer my deepest condolences to the families."

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Azmeh, Shahzada's older sister, also said she was fixated on international media coverage of the search for Titan this week. "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 told NBC News. "I personally have found it kind of difficult to breathe thinking of them."

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