The 19-year-old student who tragically died on the missing Titanic sub, along with four other men, only agreed to go on the trip with his dad for Father’s Day to please him, a family member has revealed.
Suleman Dawood died alongside his father Shahzada, the sub’s pilot and OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, French naval veteran and ‘Mr Titanic’ Paul-Henri Nargeolet and British billionaire Hamish Harding.
After setting off Sunday, the submersible lost communications with its mother ship after one hour 45 minutes.
This led to a massive manhunt as authorities combed through the ocean off the coast of Newfoundland, around the Titanic wreckage.
However, yesterday the search ended in tragedy as both the company behind the Titan sub, and the US Coast Guard, confirmed that all five men had died.
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The US Coast Guard said all passengers are presumed dead and offered its "deepest condolences" to the families after the tail cone of the submersible was found around 1,600ft from the bow of the Titanic wreckage.
In a press conference, Rear Admiral John Mauger said further debris was "consistent with a catastrophic loss of the pressure chamber".
After the sad announcement, Azmeh Dawood, the older sister of Mr Dawood said that her nephew had expressed hesitation about joining the expedition.
She revealed he only went on the journey because it was Father’s Day and he wanted to please his dad - who was passionate about the Titanic - and was "terrified" ahead of the trip.
She added he "wasn't very up for it" and told NBC News: "The thought of a 19-year-old trapped in that was just next level, because you know the other crew members were older, they were there of their own interests.
"But Suleman was just there for a Father’s Day bonding experience, and to be honest, as terrible as it sounds, at least knowing that they wouldn’t have had time to know, they would’ve just been sat there enjoying themselves then suddenly boom, and it was over ... to know that my Sule didn’t feel a moment of pain. That his brain didn't even realise ..."
She continued: "The thing about Suleman, is that he had a sense about things, and he had a sense that this was not, that this was not okay. He was not very comfortable about doing it.
"He was very very not into doing it. But, it was a Father’s Day thing, it was a bonding experience, and he wanted the adventure of a lifetime just like his father did.
"For Shahzada he fulfilled his dream in an extraordinary way, he’s become part of the Titanic legend. I those terms there’s nothing greater because people will look back at the history of the Titanic, this will come up.
"But on a more personal level for his beautiful wife and previous daughter and for Suleman … he was an angel, and he was such a precious angel that heaven could not do without him."
After being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2014, Azmeh moved from England to Amsterdam so she would have easier access to medicinal cannabis.
However, she explained that some family members, including her younger brother, disapproved of her use of cannabis and started speaking to her less frequently.
But despite their fall-out, speaking about her brother, she said: "He was my baby brother. I held him up when he was born."
She added that Shahzada was "absolutely obsessed" with the Titanic from a young age and when they were kids in Pakistan, the siblings would constantly watch the 1958 film "A Night to Remember," a drama about the sinking of the cruise liner.
The five men onboard would’ve died instantly due to the immense pressure they were under after the “catastrophic failure”.
In a statement, the company said: "We now believe that our CEO Stockton Rush, Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood, Hamish Harding, and Paul-Henri Nargeolet, have sadly been lost.
It continued: "These men were true explorers who shared a distinct spirit of adventure, and a deep passion for exploring and protecting the world’s oceans.
"Our hearts are with these five souls and every member of their families during this tragic time. We grieve the loss of life and joy they brought to everyone they knew."
The US Coast Guard then confirmed this news shortly afterwards, and said that they had discovered the tail cone of the sub around 1,600 feet from the Titanic wreckage.
Rear Admiral John Mauger said: "The ROV subsequently found additional debris.
"In consultation with experts from within the unified command, the debris is consistent with the catastrophic loss of the pressure chamber."
Four further parts of the underwater vessel - its external body - were also discovered.
