Titanic sub passenger, 19, was 'terrified' to go but agreed for Father's Day, aunt says

A young passenger who joined his father on the missing Titanic submersible that imploded was "terrified" of the expedition, his aunt has revealed.

On Sunday (June 18), it was reported that an underwater vessel - known as the Titan - had lost contact with its mothership "Polar Prince" after diving into the depths of the North Atlantic Ocean with five people on board.

The expedition, operated by OceanGate, aimed to embark on a 12,500 feet deep dive to see the infamous wreckage but the sub failed to provide a signal to its Canadian launch ship just an hour and 45 minutes into the journey, which led to operators growing concerned.

Over the last few days, a major search operation - headed by the US Coast Guard as well as OceanGate Expeditions - has been underway to try to recover the vessel. This was made even more critical as initial estimates stated that the submersible had a 96-hour oxygen supply.

The Titan held 5 passengers, including two crew members. Credit: Anadolu Agency / Getty

The frantic search to locate the missing vessel entered a critical stage on Thursday, June 22, as the US Coast Guard announced during a press conference that rescuers found debris from an external part of the submersible "consistent with the catastrophic loss of the pressure chamber".

"This is an incredibly unforgiving environment down there on the sea floor," First Coast Guard District commander Rear Adm. John Mauger said. "The debris is consistent with a catastrophic implosion of the vessel."

In a statement to NBC News, OceanGate then confirmed that the five passengers - who paid $250,000 to board the vessel - are now presumed to be dead, stating: "We now believe that our CEO Stockton Rush, Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood, Hamish Harding, and Paul-Henri Nargeolet, have sadly been lost."

"These men were true explorers who shared a distinct spirit of adventure, and a deep passion for exploring and protecting the world's oceans," OceanGate continued. "Our hearts are with these five souls and every member of their families during this tragic time. We grieve the loss of life and joy they brought to everyone they knew."

Further details about the passengers of the sub have now emerged. According to NBC News, Azmeh Dawood - the older sister of Pakistani businessman Shahzada - said that her nephew, Suleman, informed a relative that he "wasn't very up for it" and felt "terrified" about the trip.

But the 19-year-old decided to go on the 22-foot submersible because the voyage fell on Father's Day weekend and he was keen to please his dad who was passionate about the Titanic, per Azmeh.

"I am thinking of Suleman, who is 19, in there, just perhaps gasping for breath ... It's been crippling, to be honest," Azmeh said in a phone interview from her home in Amsterdam.

She described the situation as "unreal," and added: "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. I personally have found it kind of difficult to breathe thinking of them."

The Dawood Foundation also mourned the father and son's deaths in a statement to the website, writing: "It is with profound grief that we announce the passing of Shahzada and Suleman Dawood."

"Our beloved sons were aboard OceanGagte'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," they added.

Our thoughts are with everybody impacted by this developing situation.

Feature image credit: Anadolu Agency / Getty