As family and many who have followed the story of the missing Titanic submarine mourn its tragic ending, someone close to two victims has spoken out.

On Thursday (June 22), NBC News spoke with Azmeh Dawood, the older sister of Shahzada Dawood and aunt of Suleman Dawood, both aboard the sub. According to Azmeh, her 19-year-old college nephew informed a relative that he felt “terrified” and “wasn’t very up for” exploring the Titanic wreckage. However, she noted that Suleman entered OceanGate’s 22-foot submersible because the expedition fell on Father’s Day weekend.

Azmeh also shared that her nephew was eager to please his father, who was passionate about the legend of the 1912 ship. “I am thinking of Suleman, who is 19, in there, just perhaps gasping for breath … It’s been crippling, to be honest,” Azmeh revealed during the phone interview.

Yesterday, nations were left in disbelief as OceanGate, the company behind the Titan expedition, announced that all five passengers aboard were believed to be dead. As REVOLT previously reported, on Sunday (June 18), Shahzada, Suleman, Stockton Rush, Hamish Harding, and Paul-Henry Nargeolet embarked on a dive in the North Atlantic Ocean. Over an hour into their journey to the wreckage, its mother ship lost connection with the submersible.

After a five-day search, U.S. Coast Guard Rear Adm. John W. Mauger shared that debris was found on the seafloor near the Titanic is “consistent with a catastrophic implosion” involving the submarine occupying the five passengers. “I feel disbelief. It’s an unreal situation,” Azmeh shared. “I feel like I’ve been caught in a really bad film, with a countdown, but you didn’t know what you’re counting down to. I personally have found it kind of difficult to breathe thinking of them,” she continued before stating, “It’s been unlike any experience I’ve ever had.”