'Stockton is not my favourite person': Mum who lost half her family in Titan sub implosion reveals anger over tragedy
13 January 2024, 07:30 | Updated: 13 January 2024, 07:48
A mother who lost half of her family in the OceanGate Titan sub implosion has revealed her anger over the tragic incident, saying she still does not understand what happened.
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Five people were killed in the tragic submersible implosion in June last year, as they embarked on an adventure to see the Titanic wreckage.
Among those killed were Shahzada Dawood, 58, and his son Suleman, 19, half of Christine Dawood's family.
Reliving the tragedy and her "complicated" feelings over the incident, Ms Dawood told MailOnline: "That's what you'd call complicated."
"There were a lot of people who showed us support during that time. So, anger at OceanGate? I don't know. But Stockton is not my favourite person in this mess."
She added: "It's difficult because we don't know exactly what happened as the investigation is on-going. But I do feel angry."
OceanGate's CEO Stockton Rush, who was also in the submersible during the "catastrophic implosion", came under criticism in the weeks after the incident occurred.
Read More: OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush had ‘meltdown’ after getting another sub stuck in wreck in 2016
He is reported to have routinely ignored safety warnings when designing the Titan sub, viewing regulations as a barrier to innovation.
In a 2019 interview with The Smithsonian, Mr Rush said: "There hasn't been an injury in the commercial submersible industry in over 35 years."
"It's obscenely safe because they have all these regulations," he said.
"But it also hasn't innovated or grown — because they have all these regulations."
An investigation into what exactly happened to cause the 'catastrophic implosion' is still ongoing, and manslaughter charges are being considered.
A person close to the investigation into the sub's implosion said in October last year: "Interviews with those involved, both people who were directly involved with Titan and those who warned against it, have been taking place."
"There is serious discussion about criminal charges being brought against those responsible, including possible negligent homicide charges or manslaughter charges," they continued.
An investigation is understood to be focusing on people who were aboard the Titan's support vessel at the time, the Polar Prince, as well as current and former staff working for OceanGate.
