Christine Dawood also revealed her son Suleman took his Rubik’s Cube on board in the hope of breaking a world record
The wife and mother of a billionaire and teenage boy who died in the Titan submersible has said she lost hope after the search reached the 96-hour mark.
Christine Dawood, lost her husband, Shahzada Dawood, and 19-year-old son, Suleman, after the sub they were travelling on to view the Titanic wreck imploded in the Atlantic Ocean.
Speaking to the BBC in Saint John’s Newfoundland, where the vessel embarked last Sunday, Ms Dawood, who had been on the search boat with her daughter looking for her loved ones, said: “I lost hope when we passed the 96 hours mark – that’s when I lost hope.
“That was when I sent a message to my family on shore and said ‘I’m preparing for the worst’.”
Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman, who lost their lives on the submersible
Credit: AFP
She said she never wanted to hear the sentence “we lost comm” – signalling the submarine had lost communication with the outside world – ever again.
Asked what her last words were to her husband, who was one of Pakistan’s wealthiest businessmen, and her son, she said: “We just hugged and joked actually, because Shazada was so excited to go down he was like a little child.
“He had this ability of childlike excitement so they both were so excited.”
Suleman, she added, would not go anywhere without his Rubik’s cube and even took it on board the vessel, in the hope of breaking a world record.
“He used to teach himself through YouTube, how to solve the Rubik’s Cube and he was really fast at it. I think is his best was 12 seconds or something like that.”
It comes as the US Coastguard ordered a far-reaching inquiry into the disaster which could lead to criminal and civil action being taken against those held responsible.
It has convened a Marine Board of Investigation – the highest level of investigation conducted by the US Coastguard.
Captain Jason Neubauer is leading the investigation into the submersible
Credit: AP
Captain Jason Neubauer, who will head the inquiry, said its main task is to report on the cause of the accident which claimed five lives.
“The MBI, however, is also responsible for accountability aspects of the incident,” he said.
“And it can make recommendations to the proper authorities to pursue civil or criminal sanctions as necessary.
“However, any subsequent enforcement activities would be pursued under a separate investigation.”
Other maritime safety bodies, including Britain’s Marine Accident Investigation Branch, can also request to take part in the inquiry, Capt Neubauer continued.
Canada’s Transportation Safety Board announced on Saturday that it had launched its own inquiry. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is also examining the circumstances surrounding the disaster.
Capt Neubauer said his team was still gathering evidence as part of the salvage exercise following the end of the search and rescue operation.
“The priority of the investigation is to recover items from the seafloor. We have already mapped the accident site,” he added.
Investigators are already conducting interviews in St John’s, Newfoundland, the port from which the Polar Prince, Titan’s support vessel, set off.
The investigation will hold a public hearing in which it will gather witness evidence.
A final report, intended to boost the safety of submersible operations, will be sent to the International Maritime Organisation as well as individual countries’ maritime authorities.
Rear Admiral John Mauger of the US Coast Guard said 11 ships, five “subsurface assets” and four planes took part in the search which covered 13,000 square miles of ocean.
The US Navy said on Sunday it would not deploy the Flyaway Deep Ocean Salvage System, which would have been capable of recovering the Titan if it were intact.
Debris from the Titan was found about 488 metres (1,600 feet) from the wreck of the Titanic.
