‘The world has lost such a wonderful person’: Heartbroken friends pay tribute to ‘remarkable’ UK university student, 19, who was killed in Titan tragedy alongside his father
- Suleman and Shahzada Dawood tragically died on the OceanGate submersible
- READ: Expert begged Titanic sub boss not to take customers to ocean floor
Heartbroken friends of Suleman Dawood have paid an emotional tribute to the ‘wonderful’ 19-year-old who tragically died onboard the Titan submersible alongside his father.
The Strathclyde University students shared touching stories of how Suleman supported his friends and described him as a ‘remarkable, generous and kind’ person.
Suleman and his businessman father Shahzada Dawood were two of the five victims killed instantly when the OceanGate submersible suffered a ‘catastrophic implosion’ just 1,600ft from the bow of the Titanic, according to the US Coast Guard.
His friend and fellow student Isaac said: ‘Suleman was not only an incredibly generous and kind person in the conventional sense, but he also had a remarkable capacity for giving his time and empathy.
‘For example, during a very hard period of my life when I was at my lowest point emotionally, he brought me back and made me feel positive about life again.
University student Suleman (left), 19, and his father Shahzada Dawood (right) were two of the five victims who were killed instantly when the OceanGate submersible suffered a ‘catastrophic implosion’
Suleman (bottom right) pictured with his university friends. Pictured from top left to bottom right: Isaac, Cody, Joe, Calum and Suleman
Suleman (pictured) was studying at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow before his death
READ MORE HERE: ‘He was as adventurous as his dad’: Family friend of student, 19, and father who died in Titanic submersible tragedy says there is ‘no world I can imagine’ where the teen would have expressed worry about the trip and his father would not have listened
‘His presence in my life was a comforting reminder that someone truly cared for me and would be there with me through anything.
‘The world has lost such a wonderful person and my love goes out to the Dawood family,’ he said, according to Sky News.
Calum described Suleman as a ‘generous and down to earth’ friend who was like no other.
He said: ‘Coming to university was an incredibly daunting and scary part of my life, but Suleman, who was one of the first people I met, instantly made me feel welcomed and safe.
‘He was definitely not your typical person, he always found time to listen to you no matter how small it was and offer his thoughts, and was always putting others in-front of himself.’
It comes as Strathclyde University has paid tribute to Suleman.
Professor Sir Jim McDonald, the principal and vice-chancellor of the university, said: ‘We are shocked and profoundly saddened by the death of Suleman Dawood and his father in this tragic incident.
‘The entire Strathclyde community offers our deepest condolences to the Dawood family and all those affected by this terrible accident.
‘Our Student Wellbeing team remains on hand to offer appropriate support to Suleman’s classmates and the wider Strathclyde community at this difficult time.’
A friend Cody told of how when he was struggling to settle into university, Suleman was a real support.
‘I was feeling alone, unsure and homesick when a stranger came up and asked me if I wanted a sandwich, this simple gesture of kindness and compassion for someone they did not know speaks volumes about the type of person he is, not the son of a billionaire but a good person who cared intently about someone he hadn’t even met,’ he said.
Another friend Joe said that Suleman, who was a whiz at the Rubik’s Cube, was far from the son of a billionaire, adding: ‘He was the most helpful person I have ever met and not just with helping with everyday problems.
‘He was incredibly kind and respectful and had great affection for his parents and his sister, which he always spoke very highly of.
‘Anyone who knew him, even if it was for a short period of time knows how much of a loss this is for the world.’
Earlier, Suleman’s aunt told NBC News that her nephew informed a relative he ‘wasn’t very up for it’ but felt compelled to please his father, who was very passionate about the 1912 shipwreck.
But Osman Waheed, close friend of the Dawood family, has now claimed ‘there is no world in which’ he could imagine Suleman would express reservations and his parents would not listen to him.
He insisted he just did not ‘see that happening’.
Azmeh Dawood (pictured) – the older sister of Mr Dawood – said on Thursday that her nephew was ‘terrified’ about the trip and only went on it to please his father
‘You know Shahzada and I both have two children, a boy and a girl, so my son is 20 – just a little bit older than Suleman and from that age Suleman was as adventurous as his dad was. He was always climbing trees, running around barefoot in the garden,’ Mr Waheed told TalkTV.
‘If I were to describe the relationship between father and son – in fact all four of them – there’s two things that really stood out.
‘One is the love they have for each other and the other is the shared reverence with which they treated each other.
‘Shahzada and Christine would make fun of each other, the kids would make fun of the parents. But they had a really close relationship in which they could say anything to each other.
‘So there is no world I could imagine in which Suleman would express this kind of reservation and Shahzada and Christine would not listen – I just really don’t see that happening.’
Mr Dawood and his son were heirs to the great Dawood business dynasty and among the richest people in Pakistan- although they lived in Surrey, England
Sulaiman Dawood, 19, pictured with his mother Christine, a coach and psychologist
The older sister of Mr Dawood, who was the vice chairman of Engro Corporation, reportedly said through tears: ‘I feel disbelief. It’s an unreal situation.’
Azmeh, who like the other anxious relatives was hoping for a miracle, continued: ‘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 she ‘personally found it kind of difficult to breathe thinking of them’, adding: ‘It’s been unlike any experience I’ve ever had.’
Azmeh herself admitted she would not have gotten on the Titan submersible ‘if you gave me a million dollars’.
Mr Dawood’s sister said she had fallen out of touch with him in recent years.
Azmeh was diagnosed with primary progressive multiple sclerosis in 2014 and ‘reduced to being in a wheelchair’.
She had moved from England to Amsterdam to have easier access to medical cannabis – something she said her family members, including her brother, disapproved of.
Shahzada Dawood, 48, (pictured with his wife Christine) was a UK-based board member of the Prince’s Trust charity
The Dawood family paid tribute following the announcement that Shahzada and his son Suleman were among those who died
But after hearing the tragic news, she was reminded of her love for her brother. ‘He was my baby brother, I held him up when he was born,’ she said.
Azmeh said she always felt close to Suleman who she described as ‘thoroughly good-hearted’.
Suleman’s grandparents, Hussain and Kulsum Dawood, paid tribute to their beloved grandson and son, describing their passing as an ‘unimaginable loss’.
The other victims were OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, French Navy veteran Paul-Henri (PH) Nargeolet and British billionaire Hamish Harding. They had been missing since the Titan sub vanished on Sunday, prompting a nail-biting search for the crew.
News of the tragic deaths emerged on Thursday, with the US Coast Guard revealing that debris the search mission had discovered was ‘consistent with the catastrophic loss of the pressure chamber’.
‘Upon this determination we immediately notified the families,’ US Coast Guard Rear Admiral John Mauger told a press conference attended by reporters from across the globe.
‘On behalf of the Coast Guard and the entire unified command, I offer my deepest condolences to the families.’
It would have been an instant death for the men, some of whom had paid £195,000 ($250,000) each to see the famous shipwreck.
In a gut-wrenching blow for their families, experts say there is little prospect of recovering any of their remains.
A source said Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood was ‘driven by a passion of exploration’
As search and rescue teams continued to cling onto hope of finding the sub on Wednesday, the Dawoods’ family gathered above the water where the vessel was last seen.
A family source told MailOnline that Mr Dawood’s wife Christine and daughter Alina were at the search site and would wait there ‘as long as they can’.
The source added: ‘It’s not clear what it was that made Mr Dawood want to go and visit the Titanic with his son, but he is driven by a passion of exploration, and I understand this was something that had been planned for some time.’
Mr Dawood and his son were heirs to the great Dawood business dynasty and among the richest people in Pakistan.
They were British citizens and lived in Surbiton, Surrey. Suleman and his older sister were both raised in London.
Suleman was studying at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow. He was a Business School student and had just completed his first year.
Five people were onboard, including British billionaire adventurer Hamish Harding (pictured)
French Navy veteran PH Nargeolet (left) was also in the sub along with Stockton Rush (right), CEO of the OceanGate Expedition
Before his death was announced, Professor Sir Jim McDonald, Principal and Vice Chancellor, said in a statement: ‘I write to you with a heavy heart to share the news that one of our students, Suleman Dawood, is a passenger on board the submersible that is missing in the North Atlantic.
‘We are deeply concerned about Suleman, his father and the others involved in this incident. I know you will join me in sending our thoughts and prayers to their families and loved ones.’
A family statement earlier in the week described Suleman as ‘a big fan of science fiction literature and learning new things’.
US Coast Guard Rear Admiral John Mauger announcing the men’s deaths at a press conference in Boston
Rescuers had scrambled to locate the missing Titanic tourist submersible but it was confirmed that debris had been found from it
Suleman’s mother Christine, a psychologist and life coach, and his sister Alina had been spending a month in Canada before the father and son undertook the dive.
In January 2019, Christine revealed how she and her husband had been involved in a terrifying plane ‘plunge’, during which they felt they were going to die.
‘My husband told me later that he was thinking of all the opportunities he’d missed and how much he still wanted to teach our children,’ Christine said in a heartbreaking post at the time.
Ahsen Uddin Syed, a friend of Mr Dawood’s who worked with him at his company, said earlier this week that the businessman was ‘an explorer’.
‘Traveling, science, are part of his DNA,’ Syed told The New York Times.
He added that Mr Dawood loved Star Trek and Star Wars and was a keen photographer.
Mr Dawood was a trustee at the SETI Institute – a Silicon Valley not-for-profit working in space exploration.
He was also a supporter of two charities founded by King Charles – the British Asian Trust and the Prince’s Trust International.
The Dawood family released a statement on Twitter on Thursday night, saying ‘it is with profound grief that we announce the passing of Shahzada and Suleman Dawood’.
‘Our beloved sons were aboard OceanGate’s Titan submersible that perished underwater.
‘Please continue to keep the departed souls and our family in your prayers during this difficult period of mourning.
‘We are truly grateful to all those involved in the rescue operations. Their untiring efforts were a source of strength for us during this time.
‘We are also indebted to our friends, family, colleagues, and well-wishers from all over the world who have stood by us during our hour of need. The immense love and support we receive continues to help us to endure this unimaginable loss.
‘We extend our heartfelt condolences to the families of the other passengers on the Titan submersible. At this time, we are unable to receive calls and request that support, condolences, and prayers be messaged instead. Details of their final rites in this world will be announced soon.’
The statement was signed by Mr Dawood’s parents, Hussain and Kulsum, philanthropists who run an educational charity and the heads of the family dynasty.
Mr Dawood’s sister, Sabrina, said as the rescue mission was underway that he and his son would be ‘as moved as we are by the support of the global community’.
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