Suleman Dawood, a 19-year-old college student, and his father Shahzada Dawood, a British-Pakistani businessman, were part of a group of five people on a Titan submarine. The submarine was exploring the Titanic shipwreck at great depths when it is believed to have imploded on Sunday. Unfortunately, all five passengers are presumed to have died, and it remains uncertain if their bodies can be recovered.
Shahzada had a lifelong fascination with the Titanic's story, as shared by his older sister Azmeh Dawood. However, Suleman, being a teenager, was worried about the submarine trip.
The search for the missing Titan submarine began urgently on Sunday when contact was lost with the vessel shortly after it started its journey near Newfoundland. There were only 96 hours of oxygen available on board, creating a grim countdown.
On Thursday, which would have been the day the submarine ran out of reserve oxygen, the U.S. Coast Guard announced the discovery of a debris field containing parts of the Titan's hull.
Azmeh, Shahzada's sister, expressed disbelief and broke down during her interview with NBC News. She described the situation as unreal and compared it to being trapped in a suspenseful movie with an unknown outcome. The thought of her loved ones has made it difficult for her to breathe.
Although Azmeh and her younger brother Shahzada had lost touch in recent years, she was devastated to learn that he is presumed dead.
Amid tears, Azmeh expressed her deep connection to her brother Shahzada, referring to him as her baby brother and recalling the moment she held him when he was born.
She shared how Shahzada had a strong fascination with the Titanic and was completely captivated by it. When they were young, the Dawood siblings would watch the 1958 British film "A Night to Remember" repeatedly, which depicted the sinking of the famous ship.
The Dawood family is known for being one of the wealthiest families in Pakistan, involved in various industries such as energy, textiles, and agriculture through their company Dawood Hercules Corp. Shahzada held the position of vice-chairman at Engro Corporation, a subsidiary of the family business.
Azmeh mentioned that she wasn't surprised to hear that her brother had purchased tickets for the OceanGate submersible mission, although she personally wouldn't have chosen to do it herself. She emphasized that even if she were offered a million dollars, she would never have gotten on board the Titan submarine.
