Strathclyde University's shock and sadness at student's Titan sub death

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Shahzada Dawood and Suleman DawoodImage source, Engro Corporation and DH Group
Image caption,

Suleman and his father Shahzada were among five people who perished on the Titan

A Scots university says its staff and students are "shocked" at the death of business student Suleman Dawood.

The 19-year-old and his father Shahzada, 48, were among five people who perished on the Titan submersible, which went missing last Sunday.

The US Coast Guard confirmed on Thursday that they had found parts of the vessel amidst debris near the wreckage of the Titanic.

It was consistent with a "catastrophic implosion of the vessel".

Suleman studied at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow.

A fan of science fiction literature, he loved Rubik's cubes and playing volleyball.

He was a former pupil of ACS International School Cobham in Surrey, and had just completed his first year at Strathclyde Business School.

On Friday, a spokesperson for the University of Strathclyde said: "The staff and students of Strathclyde have been shocked and profoundly saddened by the death of Suleman Dawood and his father in this tragic incident.

"The entire University community offers our deepest condolences to the Dawood family and all of those affected by this terrible accident.

"Our student wellbeing team is on hand to offer appropriate support to Suleman's Strathclyde classmates and the wider community at this difficult time."

Image source, Facebook/Christine Dawood
Image caption,

Shahzada Dawood with his wife Christine

It emerged that the US Navy originally detected "an acoustic anomaly consistent with an implosion" shortly after the Titan lost contact on Sunday

A robotic diving vehicle found major fragments of the sub on the seafloor about 1,600ft (480m) from the shipwreck it had been observing.

Suleman's father was from one of Pakistan's richest families and is vice-chairman of Pakistani conglomerate Engro Corporation, which is a large fertiliser firm.

He and wife Christine have another child, Alina. The family were spending a month in Canada prior to the dive.

In a statement, the Dawood family said: "Our thoughts are with the victims of this tragedy, one which has been followed around the world.

"As with any tragedy of this magnitude, it brings out the best and worst in people.

"Some go out of their way to contribute and support, others use these moments for personal gains. How one behaves in such circumstances reveals more about their own character than anything else."

It ended: "The family remains overwhelmed with the love and support that it has received and is grateful to the those who showcased the best in humanity."

Image source, Reuters
Image caption,

Suleman Dawood and his father Shahzada Dawood were on the Titanic sub

Shahzada Dawood was a founding patron of Prince's Trust International. The charity said it was deeply saddened by the tragedy and "valued [the Dawood family's] support of our work in Pakistan for many years".

The British Asian Trust also paid tribute to Shahzada, describing him as a "wonderful and generous man who supported our work in South Asia for many years" and his son Suleman as someone who was "just emerging into adulthood with a promising future ahead".

His family said he was interested in "exploring different natural habitats", and had previously spoken at both the United Nations and Oxford Union.

The father and son were on board the sub with British adventurer Hamish Harding, former French Navy diver Paul-Henry Nargeolet and Stockton Rush, the chief executive of OceanGate, which runs the Titanic voyages.

OceanGate charges $250,000 per person for the deep-sea excursion to the Titanic shipwreck, which sits 3,800m (12,500ft) beneath the surface of the Atlantic.

Media caption,

Watch: The latest on the Titanic sub... in 70 seconds

Titan and its passengers were at the centre of a huge international rescue mission, which included a Scottish ship normally used to work on pipelines in the North Sea.

The Aberdeenshire-based Deep Energy had remote submersibles that reach the 3,800m (12,500ft) depth of the Titanic wreck to search for the missing vehicle.

A large RAF plane also left Scotland for Canada to join the search operation.

A C17 Globemaster loaded with ancillary equipment - believed to be cables - departed from RAF Lossiemouth at around 15:00.

A second plane - and Atlas A400M - was scheduled to leave later, transporting specialist loaders and crew.