A British-Pakistani businessman belonging to the ‘Titanic Five’ on the missing tourist submarine survived a terrifying plane journey that passengers thought would cost them their lives.
Shahzada Dawood, 48, is trapped aboard the submarine with his son Suleman, 19.
His wife, Christine, a psychologist and life coach, wrote a blog post in January 2019 describing a horrific flight she and her husband once endured.
“I’ve often read that people in such situations go to pray or their life flashes by like a movie,” she wrote.
“My husband told me later that he thought about all the opportunities he had missed and how much he still wanted our children to learn.”
Christine and her daughter Alina are currently in Canada, praying for good news as the clock ticks and desperate searches continue.
Shahzada Dawood, 48, and his son Suleman, 19, are both aboard the missing submarine near the Titanic wreck
Shahzada Dawood is seen with his wife Christine, a life coach, who wrote about a terrifying plane landing in January 2019
Christine didn’t say when the flight took place or where they were flying to or from.
She described how the plane crashed into a storm twice as it landed just as the seatbelt sign had come.
The murmur grew louder. Some were praying, I’m sure, some were talking nervously. I heard a shout here and there and a few swear words thrown in for good measure,” she wrote.
“People reverted to their natural coping mechanisms, I realized, and mine was calmness.
But not the good kind. It was the silence that came from absolute fear. I was scared like never before in my life.
“I wasn’t even able to wipe away the tears that ran down my cheeks or move my head to look around.”
She said her head hit the window and the captain told them he would try to land from a different angle.
“My husband looked at me, our eyes locked and our hands intertwined,” she wrote.
“No words were needed. He was just as scared as I was and yet we were together. ‘To death…’ No, don’t go there!’
Christine said she realized that “my life had changed and would never be the same again.”
Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood is one of five passengers aboard the OceanGate Titan submarine
Suleman Dawood, 19, is the youngest passenger on the missing submarine, last seen on Sunday
However, her husband has maintained a world-traveling lifestyle – fueled by his passions for science, travel and nature.
“Travel and science are part of his DNA,” says Ahsen Uddin Syed, a friend who used to work with him at the Engro Corporation, a business conglomerate of which Dawood is the vice chairman.
Syed told The New York Times that Dawood loves Star Trek and Star Wars and is an avid photographer.
“He’s an explorer,” Syed said.
A family source in Karachi, Pakistan – where Dawood is from – released a new photo of the father and son to MailOnline and said: ‘I can tell you that Ms. Dawood and her daughter are currently and will remain in the search area. there while they can.
“Obviously this is a very difficult time for the family and they are not coping well with the situation, they are drawing strength from each other and hoping and praying for the best.
“The messages of support they receive from all over the world also keep them positive and they are grateful for everyone’s kind thoughts and wishes.
Timeline (British Summer Time) of the search for the Ocean Gate submarine, if Titan has lost power the crew will be in complete darkness with temperatures of 3C
Suleman Dawood, 19, who goes missing aboard the submarine, is pictured with his mother Christine
Shahzada Dawood, 48, (pictured with his wife Christine) is a UK-based board member of the Prince’s Trust charity
“It’s not clear why Mr. Dawood wanted to visit the Titanic with his son, but he is driven by a passion for research, and I understand this was something that had been planned for some time.”
His sister, Sabrina Dawood, added, “May Shahzada and Suleman return to us safe and sound.
“We are sure they would be as moved as we are by the support of the global community during this difficult time.”
The Dawoods are in the submarine with OceanGate exploration company founder Stockton Rush, 61; British billionaire Hamish Harding, 58; and French Navy veteran and Titanic expert PH Nargeolet.
The air in the submarine will run out at 7 a.m. Thursday.
Reports came in on Tuesday evening of “thumping” sounds picked up under the sea by sonar buoys sent down from a Canadian plane.
Still, experts warned that this could be misleading.
“We don’t know what they are, to be honest,” said U.S. Coast Guard Captain Jamie Frederick.
“The good news is that we are looking in the area where the sounds were detected.
“Sometimes we don’t find what we’re looking for and you have to carefully consider all factors and make a difficult decision – but we’re not there yet.”