After the disaster with the mini submarine Titan, Christine Dawood had to wait months for the remains of her husband and son. “I was sent two small boxes, which actually contained some blubber,” the woman explained in an interview with ‘The Guardian’.
Sven Van Malderen
Journalist at HLN
Source: The Guardian
On June 18, 2023, the Titan was on its way to the wreck of the Titanic, at a depth of approximately 3,800 meters. Suddenly, however, the vessel imploded. All five occupants were killed immediately.
Pilot Stockton Rush (61) was the CEO of OceanGate, the company behind the entire expedition. Billionaire Hamish Harding (58) and Titanic expert Paul-Henri Nargeolet (77) also lost their lives.
Corona
And then there was the British-Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood (48) with his son Suleman (19). Their story proves that tragedy is sometimes hidden in a small corner.
After all, the original plan was for Christine Dawood to descend to the wreck with her husband. The corona epidemic decided differently at that time.
‘Strange sound’
Since her son reached adulthood a few years later, he was allowed to travel in her place. Christine and daughter Alina were left safely behind on the Polar Prince, the ship from which the deep-sea voyage was followed.
LOOK. Researchers release audio showing implosion
For days, uncertainty remained about the fate of the occupants. Then came confirmation that the ‘strange noise’ Christine heard 90 minutes after take-off was actually the implosion itself.
“Comparable to shoe boxes”
“Thank God, was my first reaction. That means that Shahzada and Suleman never realized what was going on. Knowing that they did not suffer was very important to me,” the woman told ‘The Guardian’.
Christine only received the remains of her loved ones after nine months. “The blubber – because that’s what I call it – was in two small boxes. You can best compare them with shoe boxes.”
Monk work
The American Coast Guard had done painstaking work by separating the DNA remains as much as possible. “However, they couldn’t find much anymore,” says Christine. “There was another pile with mixed DNA, but I didn’t want any of that. What I had really had to belong to Suleman and Shahzada.”
A Coast Guard report later showed that Rush had ignored crucial data. His nonchalance ultimately led to the terrible tragedy. However, Christine refuses to invest any more energy in him.
“What do I gain?”
“I have a lot of reasons to hate Rush, but what do I gain? He died along with the rest of them. If I’m mad at him now, I’m giving him strength. And I refuse to do that. People may think I’m naive, but I also have to think about my own well-being. If I don’t handle it like that, I probably wouldn’t be walking around here anymore.”
Some days the panic attacks paralyzed her completely. “But I have now learned to give my grieving moments the necessary attention,” Christine concludes. “When I go to Suleman’s room, the cat is often sleeping on his pillow. I then sit on his bed and let the sadness come in. Strangely enough, I am only now starting to mourn my husband as well. To the outside world they belong together, but the pain feels very different.”
