One of the passengers thought to have perished on the Titan submersible was a 19-year-old student from Strathclyde University in Glasgow, it has emerged.
Suleman Dawood, who was accompanied by his father Shahzada Dawood, 48, and three other men on the vessel, has been confirmed as missing.
On Thursday, the university verified that the young man was a member of their business school and had just finished his first year. In an address to the "Strathclyde community", university principal and vice-chancellor Professor Sir Jim McDonald declared: "We are profoundly troubled about Suleman, his father and the others involved in this incident.
"I know you will join me in extending our thoughts and prayers to their families and loved ones."
The submersible went missing during a trip to visit the wreckage of the Titanic this past Sunday. OceanGate Expeditions, the company that organised the voyage, revealed on Thursday evening that search teams had found debris from the vessel and, regrettably, all those on board are now "sadly presumed lost".
During Thursday's First Minister's Questions at Holyrood, Glasgow Labour MSP Pam Duncan-Glancy expressed her concern for the teenager and his family. She said: "The young man on the Titan submersible is a student in Glasgow. I'm sure that everyone here will join me in sharing their thoughts with him and his family at this unparalleled and challenging time."
It is believed that Shahzada Dawood has a home in Surbiton, in south-west London. He holds the position of vice-chairman at the Pakistani conglomerate Engro Corporation and has been a long-standing adviser to the King's charity Prince’s Trust International, focusing on its work in Pakistan.
A previous statement from the Dawood family described Suleman as a "keen fan of science fiction literature and an enthusiast for learning new things", with hobbies including solving Rubik's Cubes and playing volleyball.
