‘Felt like a grain in a big bag of sand’: Missing Titan sub’s Pak passenger survived horror ‘plane plunge,’ claims wife

A search and rescue operation is underway for a submersible that went missing with five people on board.

The passengers aboard the Titan submersible have been identified as OceanGate Expeditions CEO Stockton Rush, British billionaire Hamish Harding, French diver Paul Henry Nargeolet, and Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his son, Suleman.

It has now come to light that Shahzada had previously been on a horrific flight that left him fearing for his life. In 2019, the Pakistani tycoon’s wife Christine Dawood recalled the incident in a blog post.

The blog post, titled ‘Living With Anxiety,’ was shared on a website called Next Step Now. Giving a sneak-peek into her life, Christine wrote, “I started out as an engineer because a teacher told me I’m good with numbers and I choose the textile industry because of my parents family business. Then life happened and I needed to re-evaluate, needed to change and re-orient. “

“One incident changed everything once again and made me take the path I’m on now,” she said, adding, “This is my story on why and how I became a psychologist and coach. It is personal, uncomfortable and overwhelming at times, but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.”

Christine recalled how a flight they were about to board was cancelled and they were put on the next one. Shortly after taking off, the pane “took a deep plunge,” she said.

“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. The whole cabin let out one simultaneous cry, which turned to a whimper and then silence,” Christine recalled. “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.” she added.

Christine said that in the midst of the terrifying experience, she decided she would never touch a cigarette again if they land safely. “It went dark. Storm clouds amassed around us, immersing the cabin in a strange kind of twilight. It was not quite light and yet not fully dark. It engulfed us, teased us and breathed fear into some and bravery into others,” she wrote.

She added, “Shake left, shake right! My head hit the window. Then came an announcement. It was the captain telling us that he would try to land from a different angle. The engines roared and we gained height again.”

Christine revealed how the ordeal lasted a very long time, until they finally landed safely. “The force of the thrust slowing the plane brought me back to reality. We had made it. We had survived. But I still couldn’t move. I still couldn’t comprehend. We were safely on the ground and yet my throat felt as if a noose was tightly around it. I felt a squeeze of my hand and heard somebody talking to me, but I was frozen still,” she said. “It’s then that I realised that my life had changed and would never be the same again.”

Meanwhile, it has been revealed that oxygen on the Titan submersible will likely run out at 12.08 pm UK time today, June 22. The submersible began its journey on Sunday morning, June 18.

About one hour and 45 minutes into its descent, the vessel lost contact with the Polar Prince, the support ship that transported it to the site. The Titan reportedly sends a ping to the Polar Prince every 15 minutes. The last ping was received while the vessel floated above the Titanic wreckage at about 3 pm local time.