Days prior to the ill-fated journey of the Titan vessel off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada, the 19-year-old university student, who accompanied his father on the expedition, expressed reluctance about the trip, as revealed by his aunt in a recent interview on Thursday.
Azmeh Dawood, the older sister of Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood, disclosed to NBC News that her nephew, Suleman, confided in a relative, expressing his lack of enthusiasm and feeling of terror regarding the expedition to explore the remains of the Titanic.
However, despite his reservations, the 19-year-old ultimately boarded OceanGate’s 22-foot submersible.
His decision was influenced by the fact that the trip coincided with Father’s Day weekend, and he wanted to please his passionate father, who held a deep fascination with the history of the Titanic, as Azmeh explained.
Recalling her brother’s lifelong obsession with the Titanic, Azmeh mentioned their childhood in Pakistan, during which the Dawood siblings would frequently watch the 1958 film “A Night to Remember,” a British drama depicting the tragic sinking of the iconic ocean liner.
Learning about her brother’s purchase of tickets for the OceanGate mission did not come as a surprise to Azmeh.
However, she expressed her personal aversion to such endeavors, emphasizing, “Even if you gave me a million dollars, I would not have boarded the Titan.”
Expressing her sympathy, Azmeh lamented the global trauma and suspense that unfolded due to the tragic incident.
