22 June 2023 , 10:18
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A UK-based businessman aboard the missing Titanic sub once survived a nightmare plane trip that left people fearing they would die, it has been revealed.
Shahzada Dawood and his teenage son, Suleman, are among the five passengers thought to be trapped on the deep-diving OceanGate vessel, which was last heard from on Sunday afternoon.
Oxygen on the missing Titanic submersible is expected to run out by midday on Thursday, with rescue efforts to find the five people onboard continuing late last night.
The vessel, named Titan, lost communication with tour operators on Sunday while about 435 miles south of St John's, Newfoundland, during a voyage to the Titanic shipwreck off the coast of Canada.
Shahzada, who is based in the UK, serves as a trustee for the Prince's Trust along with his various business interests (DAWOOD HERCULES CORPORATION/AFP)A blog post Shahzada's wife Christine Dawood has since resurfaced revealing a horror experience the couple shared on an an aeroplane back in 2019.
In the entry entitled 'Living With Anxiety,’ Christine describes how she abandoned a career in textiles and ended up becoming a psychology coach after the ordeal in 2019, which saw their flight take a "deep plunge" as passengers screamed in horror before going completely silent.
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Recalling the nightmarish scene inside the aircraft, she wrote: “I later read that a plane doesn't drop more than three to five metres during turbulence, but my stomach in that moment would beg to differ.
Christine said the horror flight took a 'deep plunge' as passengers screamed before going completely silent (FACEBOOK)"The whole cabin let out one simultaneous cry, which turned to a whimper and then silence, dead silence.”
“The plane plunged again, and shook left and right. I felt like a grain in a big bag of sand, or a boxer being soundly defeated – punched from all directions. I clutched my armrests, as if that would make a difference. I needed something to hold on to, something stable in a shaky metal tube thousands of feet above the ground.”
An emotional moment then followed when now-missing Shahzada faced her and looked her in the eyes while holding her hands, giving her something to hold in her moment of panic.
Time is running out to locate the OceanGate Expeditions vessel, which disappeared on a mission to the Titanic shipwreck (PA)Thankfully, the plane landed safely back on the ground - but a shaken Christine claimed she knew from that moment onwards that her "life had changed and would never be the same again."
Pakistani-born Shahzada, who is based in the UK, serves as a trustee for the Prince's Trust along with his various business interests.
Responding to his disappearance, CEO of the charity Will Straw said: "Prince's Trust International has a longstanding relationship with Shahzada Dawood and his family. We are shocked by this awful news, praying for a rescue and sending our thoughts to his family during this deeply challenging time".
Shahzada is accompanied by his 19-year-old son Suleman on the missing craft (DAWOOD HERCULES CORPORATION/AFP)The charity said Mr Dawood has been an advisor to its international arm in "various capacities", including the global advisory board, with a focus on its work in Pakistan.
As well as 48-year-old Shahzada and 19-year-old son Suleman, passengers currently on board the Titan include British billionaire adventurer Hamish Harding, OceanGate's chief executive and founder Stockton Rush, and French submersible pilot Paul-Henri Nargeolet.
Conditions inside the submersible, which could still be thousands of feet beneath the surface with the five men alive inside, are thought to be severely claustrophobic.
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Previous passengers say there is barely enough room inside the 22-foot for more than one person to stretch themselves out completely, while a basic toilet is obscured only by a small curtain.