Titan submersible: missing man, 19, is a student at university in Glasgow | Titanic sub incident

Suleman Dawood, one of the five men missing on the submersible dive to visit the Titanic, is a student at a university in Glasgow.

The University of Strathclyde confirmed that Dawood, 19, was one of its students with Strathclyde business school, and had just completed his first year. He was making the trip on the sub with his father, Shahzada Dawood, 48.

Prof Jim McDonald, the university’s principal, told students that its welfare team was available to support his friends and classmates.

“I write to you with a heavy heart to share the news that one of our students, Suleman Dawood, is a passenger on board the submersible that is missing in the North Atlantic,” he said in an email to staff and students. “We are deeply concerned about Suleman, his father and the others involved in this incident. I know you will join me in sending our thoughts and prayers to their families and loved ones.”

Their plight was raised in the Scottish parliament during first minister’s questions by Pam Duncan-Glancy, a Labour MSP. Humza Yousaf, the first minister, replied: “My thoughts are with everyone – the families, the loved ones and the communities – who will be affected by it.”

The submersible vessel went missing on Sunday on a voyage to visit the Titanic shipwreck and is thought to have just hours of oxygen left.

Dawood is the son of Shahzada Dawood, a billionaire businessman who lives in Surbiton, south-west London, originally from Pakistan but now a British citizen.

Suleman Dawood has a sister, Alina, and his mother has been named as Christine. The family had been staying in Canada for several weeks before the dive.

Earlier this week a family statement described Suleman as a “big fan of science fiction literature and learning new things”, who was also keen on Rubik’s cubes and playing volleyball. He had recently graduated from ACS International School Cobham, in Surrey.

Duncan-Glancy said her thoughts were with the teenager and his family. Speaking at first minister’s questions in Holyrood, she said: “The young man on the Titan submersible is a student in Glasgow. I’m sure that everyone here will join me in sharing their thoughts with him and his family at this unprecedented and difficult time.”