Aunt of teen killed on Titanic sub says ‘at least dad didn’t have to suffer from guilt’ of taking him
Ben Thompson
Featured Image Credit: Dawood family/Becky Kagan Schott/Becky Kagan Schott/ OceanGate
The aunt of the teenager killed when the Titanic submarine imploded has expressed relief that her brother won't 'experience guilt' for taking his son on the trip.
Reflecting on the death of her brother and her nephew, Azmeh Dawood expressed her remorse that her 'sweet precious' nephew Suleman had died.
In a previous interview with NBC, Dawood said that her nephew had only went on the sub as a treat for Father's Day, despite having not been 'very up for it'.
She told The Daily Mail: "Suleman didn't have $250,000 or an interest in the Titanic. An interest because his father loved it but his interests were different."
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She also said that she was 'glad Suleman didn't have to live through seeing his father struggling or feeling guilt'.
"My brother is prone to panic attacks. I couldn't stop thinking about that." she continued.
"It was very sad but a tremendous relief to hear that on Sunday it was just... the end. They didn't even know.
"They were still just enjoying it. That is the best for them.
"If you are a parent and you think for Father's Day, for something nice, I've brought my son here. At least he didn't have to suffer from the guilt."
These comments came after a relative of a Titanic traveller urged others not to visit the site of the wrecked ship.
Helen Richardson, 40, from Norfolk, is the great-great-granddaughter of Christopher Arthur Shulver, a fireman on the Titanic, who'd survived the sinking ship but died in another White Star Liner in 1922.
She said: "It should be left alone. It is a site where all those poor people lost their lives, and a tragic site even for those who survived."
On June 22, OceanGate, the tour company which ran the missing Titan submersible, expressed belief that all five passengers on board the vessel had died.
The vessel first lost contact with its mothership on Sunday (18 June), when it went to explore the wreck of the Titanic.
On 22 June, debris was found near the wreck which the Coast Guard said 'consistent with a catastrophic implosion of the vessel'.
In a statement addressing the suspected fate of the passengers, OceanGate 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.
"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.
"This is an extremely sad time for our dedicated employees who are exhausted and grieving deeply over this loss."