BRITISH PAKISTANI teenager Suleman Dawood, who was killed on the Titan sub, was 'terrified' of the expedition but wanted to go with his dad, Shahzada Dawood, because it was Father’s Day, the family said.
Suleman, 19, and Shahzada, 48, were among five people who perished on the submersible when it suffered a 'catastrophic implosion' while diving to the wreck of the Titanic.
Suleman, a student at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, had told a relative he 'wasn’t very up for it' and felt 'terrified', according to reports.
His aunt, Azmeh Dawood, told NBC News that the trip was over the Father’s Day weekend and wanted to please his father, who had a passion for the Titanic.
“I feel disbelief. It’s an unreal situation. 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. I personally have found it kind of difficult to breathe thinking of them," she is reported to have said.
Contact to the sub was lost on Sunday (18) about an hour-and-a-half into its dive in the mid-Atlantic.
In a statement, the Dawood family described Suleman as a 'big fan of science fiction literature and learning new things'. He also had an interest in Rubik's cubes and playing volleyball.
He studies at the ACS International School Cobham in Surrey and just completed his first year at Strathclyde Business School.
"We are shocked and profoundly saddened by the death of Suleman Dawood and his father in this tragic incident. The entire Strathclyde community offers our deepest condolences to the Dawood family and all those affected by this terrible accident," said Prof Sir Jim McDonald, principal and vice-chancellor, University of Strathclyde
"Our Student Wellbeing team remains on hand to offer appropriate support to Suleman’s classmates and the wider Strathclyde community at this difficult time."
He added that its Wellbeing Hub is available to everyone across the Strathclyde community and has many resources to help with emotional and mental wellbeing.
The Pakistan government also offered its condolences to the Dawood family.
"Our deepest condolences to the Dawood family and the family of other passengers on the sad news about the fate of Titanic submersible in the North Atlantic. We appreciate the multinational efforts over the last several days in search of the vessel," said Pakistan's ministry of foreign affairs.
