The mum of Titan submarine passenger Suleman Dawood has contradicted claims that her son was “terrified” of going on the trip.
Last week, Suleman’s aunt claimed that the 19-year-old had been “terrified” of going on the expedition with his father.
Titan submarine passenger Suleman Dawood ‘terrified’ of expedition?
Last week, it was confirmed that the five passengers aboard the Titan sub had died. It’s believed the submersible imploded during its dive to see the wreckage of the Titanic.
Amongst the passengers who died were father and son, Suleman and Shahzada Dawood. After their deaths were confirmed, Suleman’s aunt, Azmeh, spoke to NBC News. In the interview, she claimed that Suleman had been “terrified” of going on the expedition. She also said that Suleman hadn’t been “very up for it”. However, he had decided to accompany his dad as it was Father’s Day.
“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,” she said.
“I personally have found it kind of difficult to breathe thinking of them,” she then said.
Mum of Titan sub passenger Suleman contradicts claims he was ‘terrified’
However, during an interview with the BBC, Suleman’s mother, Christine Dawood, contradicted Azmeh’s claims.
During the interview, Christine explained that initially, she was meant to accompany her husband, Shahzada, on the expedition. However, after the trip was postponed due to the pandemic, she decided to let Suleman take her place.
“I stepped back and gave them space to set [Suleman] up, because he really wanted to go,” she explained. On the day of the incident, Christine said she gave her husband and son a hug and they made jokes.
“I was really happy for them because both of them, they really wanted to do that for a very long time,” she said.
Submersible would have ‘collapsed before passengers realised there was a problem’
Last week, an expert claimed that the submersible would have collapsed and imploded before the passengers realised that there was a problem.
It’s unclear how deep the sub was when it imploded. However, the wreckage of the Titanic sits over two miles beneath the surface. At that depth, there is reportedly 5,600 per square inch of pressure – hundreds of times the pressure we experience on the surface, according to deep sea diver Rick Murcar.
Aileen Maria Marty, a former Naval officer and professor at Florida International University, told CNN: “The entire thing would have collapsed before the individuals inside would even realise that there was a problem.”
“Ultimately, among the many ways in which we can pass, that’s painless,” she then added.
Read more: Ross Kemp pulled out of doomed Titanic submersible dive over safety fears
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