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Mum who lost husband and son on Titan sub still points towards man who's 'not her favourite person in the mess'

Home> News> World News

Updated 10:13 13 Jan 2024 GMTPublished 10:10 13 Jan 2024 GMT

Mum who lost husband and son on Titan sub still points towards man who's 'not her favourite person in the mess'

The OceanGate vessel imploded four days after losing contact with its mother ship, killing all five passengers

Rhianna Benson

Rhianna Benson

Last year, a huge rescue operation was enacted when a submersible containing five passengers disappeared into the depths of the sea when visiting the wreck of the Titanic.

But after four days, it was ruled that Titan - which contained explorers Hamish Harding, Shahzada Dawood, Suleman Dawood, Paul-Henri Nargeolet, and OceanGate's CEO, Stockton Rush - had imploded during its voyage.

Wreckage of the sub was subsequently found by experts scattered across the ocean seabed, with the five crew members sadly having perished in the pressurised catastrophe.

Rear Admiral John Mauger said during a press conference: "In consultation with experts from within the unified command, the debris is consistent with the catastrophic loss of the pressure chamber.

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“Upon this determination, we immediately notified the families.

“On behalf of the United States Coast Guard and the entire unified command, I offer my deepest condolences to the families. I can only imagine what this has been like for them.

“And I hope that this discovery provides some solace during this difficult time.”

Now, Christine Dawood, who lost both her husband and son - Shahzada and Suleman Dawood - in the incident on 18 June 2023, has said that she still can't make sense of what happened to her family.

Christine Dawood lost her husband and son in the catastrophe
Christine Dawood lost her husband and son in the catastrophe

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Speaking to MailOnline, Dawood described her feelings about the fate of her husband and her 19-year-old son: "That's what you'd call complicated.

"There were a lot of people who showed us support during that time. So, anger at OceanGate? I don't know.

"But Stockton is not my favourite person in this mess."

Each of the OceanGate Titan passengers paid a staggering sum of $250,000 each on tickets for the intendedly eight-day-long voyage along the ocean floor to the wreck.

After less than two hours during the dive however, the sub lost contact with its mother ship.

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Shahzada Dawood, 58, and his son Suleman, 19.
Dawood Family

Despite being one of the five onboard to lose their life during the disaster last summer, CEO Stockton Rush came under fire by thousands who had been following the story.

The 61-year-old had reportedly ignored numerous safety warnings whilst designing the Titan sub - instead, viewing regulations as a barrier to innovation.

"There hasn't been an injury in the commercial submersible industry in over 35 years," he told The Smithsonian back in 2019.

"It's obscenely safe because they have all these regulations. But it also hasn't innovated or grown — because they have all these regulations."

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Christine - who is also mother to 18-year-old daughter Alina - told MailOnline: "It's difficult because we don't know exactly what happened as the investigation is on-going.

"But I do feel angry."

The OceanGate Titan submersible.
OceanGate/Becky Kagan Schott

She went on to say: "Alina and I went on deck. Until that moment we'd had hope.

"We took some cushions with us and just sat there looking out at the ocean. We were both crying.

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"I turned to her and said: 'I'm a widow now.' She said: 'Yes, and I'm a single child.' Then we cried even more."

On the loss of her son, she continued: "It's the waking up every morning that's . . . sometimes I still don't believe it.

"The possibility of it [Titan] imploding never crossed our minds. To lose a husband is terrible, but when you lose a child.

"I love being a mother. I have Alina, but I never wanted to be a single mother to an only child.

"No parent should have to grieve for their child. It's unnatural. All of a sudden your purpose, your identity, is ripped away from you."

An investigation into what exactly triggered the 'catastophic implosion' is still ongoing.

Featured Image Credit: Credit: BBC/Dawood Family

Topics: Titanic, Travel, UK News, US News, World News

Rhianna Benson
Rhianna Benson

Rhianna is an Entertainment Journalist at LADbible Group, working across LADbible, UNILAD and Tyla. She has a Masters in News Journalism from the University of Salford and a Masters in Ancient History from the University of Edinburgh. She previously worked as a Celebrity Reporter for OK! and New Magazines, and as a TV Writer for Reach PLC.

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@rhiannaBjourno

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