Aunt of 19-Year-Old Who Died In The Titanic Tourist Submarine Says He “Wasn’t Up for It” and “Terrified”

Azmeh Dawood is speaking out about her nephew, Suleman Dawood, the 19-year-old who reportedly died on the Titanic-bound excursion on Sunday aboard the Titan submersible.

According to Azmeh, her nephew decided to go on the Titanic-bound excursion to please his father Shahzada Dawood.

She said, “I am thinking of Suleman, who is 19, in there, just perhaps gasping for breath … It’s been crippling, to be honest.”

Having been fascinated with the Titanic at such a young age, Azmeh was not surprised that Shahzada and his son purchased tickets to travel on the OceanGate submersible.

Shahzada expressed his excitement for the journey in a post on Instagram before the ship sailed on June 18. He wrote that he was “proud” to participate in the journey as a mission expert.

Azmeh told NBC News that Suleman initially felt “terrified” before he had agreed to take the trip since it was set to leave on Father’s Day.

“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. I never thought I would have an issue with drawing breath. It’s been unlike any experience I’ve ever had.”