Sister of businessman trapped on Titanic submarine with son says rescue ‘is household’s sole focus’

The sister of the British businessman who’s trapped on the lacking Titan submarine together with his teenage son says the persevering with rescue effort ‘is our household’s sole focus’ as they face an agonising anticipate information of their family members.

Sabrina Dawood, whose brother Shahzada Dawood, 48, and nephew Suleman, 19, are amongst 5 passengers trapped contained in the craft hundreds of ft beneath sea degree, mentioned the pair can be ‘as moved as we’re by the help of the worldwide neighborhood’.

Their determined household, together with Shahzada’s spouse Christine and daughter Alina, are ready for any information of the 2 males – hoping in useless that they may by some means be discovered and introduced as much as the floor safely earlier than the oxygen onboard runs out in lower than 24 hours.

Sabrina, a Pakistani philanthropist and academic activist, instructed Sky News: ‘We’re deeply grateful for the efforts of reports companies throughout this troublesome time; your fixed protection of the lacking Titan submersible is undoubtedly taking part in a big position on this planet’s means to entry related updates on the matter. 

‘Right now, the Dawood household’s sole focus is the rescue of our beloved Shahzada and Suleman Dawood and we’re unable to handle any questions or feedback in the meanwhile.

Shahzada Dawood, 48, a board member of the Prince’s Belief charity, and his son Sulaiman Dawood, 19, (pictured collectively) are on board the lacking submarine

This picture shared by the US Coast Guard is the primary from the search website, some 900 miles off the coast of the US. It exhibits Deep Vitality – a pipe-laying ship that has joined the hunt 

‘We belief that the household will likely be granted privateness as we cope with this disaster. Might Shahzada and Suleman return to us secure and sound. We’re positive they’d be as moved as we’re by the help of the worldwide neighborhood throughout this era of issue.’ 

Rescue crews from the US, Canada and France are desperately looking for the 22ft craft, which is known to have final ‘pinged’ while straight above the Titanic wreck on Sunday, earlier than the air onboard runs out in lower than 24 hours. It’s believed that the submarine has sufficient oxygen to final beneath water till 12pm on Thursday (7am EST).

A French ship carrying the one underwater automobile able to rescuing the Titan submersible – the Victor 6000, which may attain depths of 20,000ft – is in the present day racing in direction of the location of the place the craft went lacking. 

The distant operated automobile (ROV) might be able to repair a cable onto the sub earlier than it’s hauled to the floor by the Flyaway Deep Ocean Salvage System, a specialist winch which in 2021 managed to rescue a helicopter from 19,075ft deep.

However the ship carrying the heavy equipment shouldn’t be anticipated to reach on the search space till Wednesday night, which is perilously near when the air onboard is ready to expire.

And this plan of saving the crew, together with British billionaire Hamish Harding, is totally depending on rescue crews with the ability to discover the precise spot the place the small vessel is situated. Nonetheless, there are hopes the craft might be discovered after a Canadian aircraft heard banging sounds at 30 minute intervals on Tuesday.

Pictured: The tiny underwater craft leaving the port in St. John’s in Canada with the 5 crew members on board

The Dawood household are among the many richest in Pakistan, however have robust hyperlinks to the UK and Shahzada lives in a six-bedroom £3.3million home in Surbiton, Surrey, with spouse Christine, who works as a life coach, son Sulaiman and daughter Alina.

Shahzada is the Vice Chairman of Engro Company, which makes fertilisers, meals and vitality, in addition to the Dawood Hercules Company, which makes chemical substances. Shahzada’s father Hussain, 79, is chairman of each corporations.

Shahzada can also be a member of the International Advisory Board for King Charles’ Charity, Prince’s Belief. He’s additionally within the Founder’s Circle of the British Asian Belief.

The daddy-of-two can also be on the board of trustees for the California-based SETI Institute that searches for extraterrestrial intelligence. 

He was born in Pakistan however moved to the UK to check regulation on the College of Buckingham. He went on to check for Grasp’s in textile advertising in 2000 at Philadelphia College.

Shahzada had determined to take his son Sulaiman on the ‘Titan’ – the identify of the Titanic submersible – for the five-day journey with three others when catastrophe struck they usually misplaced contact with the floor after showing to shut in on their vacation spot.