Suleman Dawood, the 19-year-old that was onboard the OceanGate Expeditions Titanic trip was "terrified" to go, his aunt says. The boy's aunt, Azmeh Dawood, sat down with NBC News, and said that her nephew who was on board the vessel alongside his father, businessman Shahzada Dawood, was fearful of going on the trip.
However, Suleman agreed to go with his dad in honor of Father's Day.
The 21-foot submersible lost contact with its support ship less than two hours after beginning the trip in the North Atlantic on Sunday (June 18). On board with the Dawood's was Stockton Rush, Hamish Harding, and Paul-Henri Nargeolet.
News broke on Thursday (June 22) that all five passengers are believed to be dead.
"This was a catastrophic implosion of the vessel," said Rear Adm. John Mauger, of the First Coast Guard District per WMTW.
The vessel was occupied with 96-hour supply of oxygen that was set to expire early on Thursday (June 22). Debris of the submersible was found 1,600 feet from the Titanic in North Atlantic waters.
The debris that was found was "consistent with an implosion or explosion in the general vicinity of where the Titan submersible was operating when communications were lost," a senior Navy official told The Associated Press on Thursday.
OceanGate had been making note of the Titanic's decay since 2021.
"These men were true explorers who shared a distinct spirit of adventure, and a deep passion for exploring and protecting the world's oceans," OceanGate said in a statement. "We grieve the loss of life and joy they brought to everyone they knew."
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