The remains of a British father and son who perished in the Titan submersible disaster were returned to their family as 'slush in two small boxes', their grieving mother has disclosed. Businessman Shahzada Dawood, 48, and his 19-year-old son Suleman Dawood were among five individuals killed when the Oceangate vessel imploded during its voyage to the Titanic wreckage in June 2023.
Mother's Heartbreaking Account
In her first interview since the tragedy, Christine Dawood told The Guardian: 'We didn't get the bodies for nine months. Well, when I say bodies, I mean the slush that was left. They came in two small boxes, like shoeboxes.' She explained that there was little left of her family members' remains, which were recovered from the seabed, separated, and DNA-tested by the US Coast Guard.
Dawood further revealed: 'They have a big pile they can't separate, all mixed DNA, and they asked if I wanted some of that, too. But I said no, just what you know is Suleman and Shahzada.'
The Fateful Journey
The Titan submersible was transporting her husband and son to view the Titanic wreckage in the North Atlantic. Ms Dawood had originally planned to join the expedition but relinquished her ticket to her son. When news of the submersible's disappearance broke, the search captivated global attention. It later emerged that the hull had failed three hours into the dive, causing an instantaneous implosion.
Reflecting on the moment she learned of the catastrophe, Dawood said: 'My first thought was, thank God. When they said catastrophic, I knew Shahzada and Suleman didn't even know about it. One moment they were there and the next they weren't. Knowing they didn't suffer has been so important. They're gone, but the way they went does somehow make it easier.'
Coast Guard Report Findings
A US Coast Guard report into the incident concluded that OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush ignored critical data and that his 'negligence' contributed to the deaths. The report also deemed the disappearance and implosion 'preventable.' Had Rush survived, he would likely have faced criminal proceedings.
On the subject of Rush, Dawood remarked: 'From the beginning, I had a lot of reasons to hate Stockton, but does that really help me? He died with them. If I'm angry with him, I'm giving him power, and I refuse to do that. I'm sure people will say I'm naive, but if I start to analyse every single thing, where does that lead me? So, I choose my own … not happiness but … I choose me, every day. If I don't, I wouldn't be here.'
Coping with Grief
Dawood acknowledged the ongoing struggle: 'It's very hard. Being strong doesn't mean you're not feeling it.' She described days when panic attacks left her paralysed, with lights feeling too bright and sounds too loud. 'I have learned to give the grief attention. So I go into Suleman's room. Sometimes I find the cat sleeping on his pillow and I sit on the bed and let the grief come. And after a while I can put the grief away until the next time it gets too much. I've worked a lot on my grief for Suleman, but I'm only now starting to grieve for my husband. Publicly they are always put together, but they are two different relationships. Two very different pains.'
