The mother of a 19-year-old passenger of the bathyscaphe "Titan" admitted that she had given up her place on board to her son (6 photos)

The mother of a teenager who died on the submersible "Titan" along with his billionaire father, revealed today that she was supposed to be on board herself, but gave way to her only son.





Kristin Dawood revealed in an exclusive interview with the BBC that She and her husband Shahzada Dawood initially purchased tickets for themselves, but in the end, the woman gave up her place on the ship to her only son, 19-year-old Suleman, because he really wanted to go. Moreover, the goal Suleman was not only to see the wreckage of the legendary Titanic - the teenager wanted to be the first person on the planet to solve the Cube Rubik in the deep waters of the Atlantic Ocean.

When asked by a BBC journalist, “You gave him your seat; What do you feel?" Mrs. Dawood replied in a trembling voice, "Let's not let's talk about it."



In an interview, Ms. Dawood with amazing self-control told how she and her 17-year-old daughter Alina joked and hugged with Shahzada and Suleman aboard the Polar Prince, an auxiliary vessel "Titan", after which they said goodbye and went to sit in the bathyscaphe. Through communication with them was lost for two hours.

On that day, the mother and daughter were still sure that Shahzada and Suleman would return, but the confidence was fading away with every passing hour.





“We all thought they would just pop up, so the shock was delayed for about 10 hours or so,” the widow recalls. - TO the time when they were supposed to go upstairs ... There was a moment when they were supposed to be on the surface again, and when this moment passed, a real shock began - not shock, but anxiety and not the best foreboding."

According to Ms. Dawood, she finally lost hope, when 96 hours had passed since her husband and son had sailed on board bathyscaphe, which means they ran out of oxygen; that's when she wrote to relatives and friends that she was preparing for the worst. Her daughter lasted longer - despite the gloomy prospects, she did not lose hopes for the salvation of his father and older brother.

“She is such an incredible young woman, she is so conscious,” Ms. Davud says of 17-year-old Alina. - She believes in science, and she really believed that, just like when you sit in aircraft, science, mechanics, and engineering will work."

The last hope collapsed when the US Coast Guard told them that the wreckage of the bathyscaphe had been found - this information hidden from the family for several hours. After that it was officially announced that the "Titan" exploded, and all five passengers on board died.



Ms. Dawood said that she planned to go to sunken Titanic with her husband before the pandemic, but then the trip canceled due to restrictions. But when the spouses began to book again excursion on the OceanGate submersible this year, the woman decided to give way his place to his son.

“I gave up my seat so they could take [Suleman] with them, because he really wanted to go,” she admitted. - I was I am extremely happy for them, because they both really dreamed about it already very for a long time".

Ms. Dawood said that Suleman, a student Research University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, took with him a cube Rubik because he hoped to break the world record for solving the puzzle at the greatest depth.

“He told me: “I will solve the Rubik's cube 3700 meters below sea level at the Titanic,” recalls Ms. Dawood. — Suleman collected 10,000-piece LEGO Titanic construction toy. He applied for registering a world record, because he planned to solve the Rubik's cube in deepest point. Although the application was rejected, Suleman and his father do not care were going to film the attempt.



According to Ms. Dawood, her son was practical and intellectual person and never went anywhere without his Rubik's Cube, who learned to assemble in just 12 seconds. Now they are with their daughter. vowed to learn how to solve the Rubik's cube in honor of Suleman, and she herself Ms Dawood intends to continue her husband's work.

“He did so much, he helped so many people, and we Alina really want to preserve his legacy and provide him with this platform that his work continues, and this is also very important for my daughter,” says the widow. - Alina and I said that we would study collect Rubik's cube. It will be difficult becauseace with this is bad, but we're going to learn."

“I miss them,” the woman added, barely holding back tears. “I really, really miss them.”



On Saturday, the family returned to St. John's in Newfoundland, Canada. Yesterday they held a memorial prayer for Shahzade and Suleman, which, according to Ms. Dawood, “helped them.”

Remembering her son, she admitted that he was rather "my mother's son", but also "loved his father". As for the husband, mistress Dawood told how they met at the university, when she didn't speak English at all. Then Shahzada, big lover history, knew more about her native Germany than she did; and he was obsessed documentaries.

“He made us all watch [documentaries] David Attenborough and the kids loved them,” Dawood recalls. - His enthusiasm has allowed me to show my best side, and I really learned to love history. Thanks to his knowledge, he really could inspire and motivate others."