Gulf of Paria Underwater Welders Deaths: Lawsuits Filed

[The_Honourable]

Paria and LMCS sued for negligence

Almost three years after a major diving tragedy at Paria Fuel Trading Company’s Pointe-a-Pierre facility, lawyers for survivor Christopher Boodram and relatives of Rishi Nagassar have filed negligence lawsuits against the State-owned energy company and their former employer, Paria and Land and Marine Contracting Services Limited (LMCS).

On October 14, a team of attorneys from Freedom Law Chambers led by Senior Counsel Anand Ramlogan, filed the cases over what transpired in February 2022. They identified 29 grounds on which they claimed Paria’s negligence led to the fatal incident and also raised 25 grounds in relation to LMCS as their employer.

They are seeking significant compensation for Nagassar’s death and Boodram’s long-lasting physical and mental injuries, which will be largely based on what they endured in the incident and their lack of earnings since then.

Contacted yesterday, attorney Prakash Ramdhar, who is leading the legal team for the families of two of the other divers, Fyzal Kurban and Yusuf Henry, said similar cases will be soon filed.

He said he attempted to settle the cases with Paria and avoid litigation but discussions with the company proved futile.

“They took a decision that they were not going to be reasonable and fair in all of the circumstances so we were left with no choice but to proceed to file actions,” Ramadhar said.

In their statement of case, the lawyers gave a synopsis of the incident as recounted by Boodram.

On February 25, 2022, Boodram, Nagassar, Henry, Kurban, and Kazim Ali Junior, whose father is a director of LMCS, were doing maintenance work on an underwater offshore pipeline off Berth #6 on Paria’s compound when the incident occurred.

They said the group were performing work following the scope of works issued by Paria and the project execution plan developed by LMCS when the hyperbaric chamber flooded and they were sucked in.

Although the men were injured, they managed to find each other in an air pocket. When the men reached the end of the air pocket, Boodram went ahead through a mixture of crude oil and water and met a chain block hanging near the end of the pipe.

They claimed that just as Boodram was about to give up hope, he heard a response from someone outside. He was eventually pulled out of the pipe by his colleague Ronald Ramoutar, who he later learned had been warned by Paria officials against intervening.

Before being taken to the San Fernando General Hospital, Boodram reportedly told officials of the condition of his colleagues and pleaded with them to rescue them. The men were not rescued and their bodies were recovered days later.

Summarising the negligence claims against the companies, the lawyers claimed they failed to identify the potential hazards associated with the job and implement measures to ensure an effective emergency response.

The lawyers alleged that Paria failed to ensure that LMCS had proper health and safety equipment for their staff and could safely and competently complete the job. They further claimed that Paria and LMCS failed to properly clear the pipeline before the divers were allowed to commence work.

“Failure, in all circumstances, to adhere to industry safety standards by taking steps to ensure the safety of the Claimant and other workers,” they said.

They also criticised Paria for preventing a rescue operation and quoted some of the findings of the Commission of Enquiry (CoE) appointed by the government to probe the incident following public furore over the tragedy.

O the loss and damage suffered by Boodram, his lawyers claimed he still suffers mental anguish and “continues to be haunted by the memories of his friends’ suffering and the inability to help them despite promising them that he will get assistance.”

They said he has been unable to return to work as he suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

“The haunting memories of the incident, coupled with the ongoing emotional distress, make it challenging for him to concentrate, engage with colleagues, or function effectively in a work environment at present, and for the foreseeable future,” they said.

They claimed that Boodram has suffered from neuropsychiatric disorders, including amnesia, since the incident.

“He frequently misplaces items and forgets his scheduled medical appointments for example,” they said, adding that he also suffers from linguistic difficulties.

“He relives the nightmare on a daily basis and is unable to get a good night’s sleep.”

They claimed that he lost out on more than $400,000 in income since the incident as he previously worked on a freelance basis with other dive companies and as a fisherman in his free time.

Boodram’s lawyers also claimed that he will require weekly therapeutic support for the next decade and the medical bills will be approximately $312,000.

Nagassar’s lawyers are claiming compensation for the pain and suffering he endured, $25,000 for loss of expectation of life and loss of earnings for the 46-year-old based on the $9,800 monthly salary he received from LMCS as well as private work.

They are also seeking $53,350, which represents the money expended by his family for his funeral.

Nagassar was the sole breadwinner in his family and his lawyers are claiming compensation for his common-law wife and five-year-old daughter estimated at an annual rate of $85,000 until he would have retired.

The duo is also being represented by Kent Samlal, Robert Abdool-Mitchell, Sue Ann Deosaran, and Natasha Bisram.

After the tragedy, the Cabinet initially appointed a five-member team to investigate but the move was scrapped due to public criticism and a CoE was appointed.

In its report, the commission chaired by King’s Counsel Jerome Lynch presented several dozen recommendations, including occupational safety and health charges.

It also recommended that Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Roger Gaspard, SC, consider prosecuting Paria for gross negligence manslaughter.

In July, DPP Gaspard wrote to Police Commissioner Erla Harewood-Christopher to initiate an investigation to determine whether there was sufficient evidence to prosecute any person or entity.

Around the same time, Paria issued a release claiming that the LMCS and the legal representatives of the victims’ families were frustrating its attempts to settle compensation claims.

Ramadhar denied the claims and called on Paria to pay each of the men’s families $5 million in compensation.

Last month, LMCS’s legal team wrote to Ramadhar and Ramlogan suggesting they direct their legal action to Paria and not their client. The company’s lawyers dismissed any imputation of culpability attached to it by the commission and claimed Paria should be held solely liable for what transpired.

They suggested that even if their clients were partially responsible for the initial accident as alleged, Paria’s handling of the response absolved it.

After being served with pre-action protocol letters threatening the lawsuits, Paria reportedly claimed that only LMCS should be held liable.

LMCS did admit that they owed their workers’ families and Boodram compensation under the Workmen’s Compensation Act but claimed payments could not be made until its claim to its insurer was determined.

The company claimed it pursued litigation when it made a claim shortly after the incident but did not receive a response.

Earlier this year, the Occupational Safety and Health Authority and Agency (OSHA) brought 15 charges against the companies, Paria’s general manager Mushtaq Mohammed, its terminal operations manager Collin Piper and LMCS director Kazim Ali Snr.

Mohammed is facing four charges for facilitating a breach of the OSH Act by failing to prepare an emergency plan based on a risk assessment and by failing to ensure the divers were not exposed to a safety risk.

Paria is charged with four offences for failing to ensure that the divers were not exposed to risk, for failing to implement an emergency plan based on a risk assessment, for failing to revise the emergency plan through consultation with worker representatives and failing to conduct an annual assessment of the potential risks to employees of third party contractors such as the divers.

Piper is accused of allegedly failing to ensure that employees of the third-party contractors were not exposed to health and safety risks.

Ali is facing three charges for neglecting to ensure the health, safety and welfare of his employees, failing to perform annual risk assessments and neglecting to provide training, instructions and supervision to ensure the safety of the workers.

His company was charged with failing to perform a risk assessment, failing to ensure its workers’ safety, and failing to provide them with proper training and supervision.

The three officials and the two companies denied any wrongdoing when they reappeared in court last month.

The outcome of the charges might be affected by a landmark case over the laying of charges under the OSH Act which is currently being considered by the United Kingdom-based Privy Council.

In that case, a decision by the Court of Appeal over the time limit for bringing charges under the legislation is being challenged.

The Appeal Court ruled that health and safety charges and criminal charges had to be filed six months after the conduct occurred, while civil claims could be brought within two years.

https://www.guardian.co.tt/news/paria-a ... 92a28de42f

[K74T]

Three years after four divers lost their lives in what became known as the Paria diving tragedy, the government has decided to award $1 million to each of their families and an additional $1 million to the lone survivor.

Read more:
https://www.cnc3.co.tt/government-award ... y-victims/

[The_Honourable]

Like elections in the air... they couldn't do that all the time in 2023 and 2024?

[hover11]

Like elections in the air... they couldn't do that all the time in 2023 and 2024?

Honorable they were "investigating "

Sent from my SM-N986U1 using TriniTuner mobile app

[The_Honourable]

Like elections in the air... they couldn't do that all the time in 2023 and 2024?

Honorable they were "investigating "

Sent from my SM-N986U1 using TriniTuner mobile app

While this is an attempt to make Stuart look good, it makes Rowley look like an ass if you think about it.

[hover11]

Like elections in the air... they couldn't do that all the time in 2023 and 2024?

Honorable they were "investigating "

Sent from my SM-N986U1 using TriniTuner mobile app

While this is an attempt to make Stuart look good, it makes Rowley look like an ass if you think about it.

Just like how ex Petrotrin workers eh get their lands to date and it had big media coverage and thing lol

Sent from my SM-N986U1 using TriniTuner mobile app

[shake d livin wake d dead]

All of a sudden "divers lives matter"

[MaxPower]

Surprise KPB eh say if she win she giving them $1m each

[Redress10]

Not sure why they should get any sort of payment tbh. Is taxpayers monies that going to pay this family. Are they setting a precedent for the government and the state to pay families for any industrial accident that take place?

These politicians does treat taxpayers money like they own personal piggybank. No accountability whatsoever.

[sMASH]

Paria and LMCS sued for negligence

Almost three years after a major diving tragedy at Paria Fuel Trading Company’s Pointe-a-Pierre facility, lawyers for survivor Christopher Boodram and relatives of Rishi Nagassar have filed negligence lawsuits against the State-owned energy company and their former employer, Paria and Land and Marine Contracting Services Limited (LMCS).

On October 14, a team of attorneys from Freedom Law Chambers led by Senior Counsel Anand Ramlogan, filed the cases over what transpired in February 2022. They identified 29 grounds on which they claimed Paria’s negligence led to the fatal incident and also raised 25 grounds in relation to LMCS as their employer.

They are seeking significant compensation for Nagassar’s death and Boodram’s long-lasting physical and mental injuries, which will be largely based on what they endured in the incident and their lack of earnings since then.

Contacted yesterday, attorney Prakash Ramdhar, who is leading the legal team for the families of two of the other divers, Fyzal Kurban and Yusuf Henry, said similar cases will be soon filed.

He said he attempted to settle the cases with Paria and avoid litigation but discussions with the company proved futile.

“They took a decision that they were not going to be reasonable and fair in all of the circumstances so we were left with no choice but to proceed to file actions,” Ramadhar said.

In their statement of case, the lawyers gave a synopsis of the incident as recounted by Boodram.

On February 25, 2022, Boodram, Nagassar, Henry, Kurban, and Kazim Ali Junior, whose father is a director of LMCS, were doing maintenance work on an underwater offshore pipeline off Berth #6 on Paria’s compound when the incident occurred.

They said the group were performing work following the scope of works issued by Paria and the project execution plan developed by LMCS when the hyperbaric chamber flooded and they were sucked in.

Although the men were injured, they managed to find each other in an air pocket. When the men reached the end of the air pocket, Boodram went ahead through a mixture of crude oil and water and met a chain block hanging near the end of the pipe.

They claimed that just as Boodram was about to give up hope, he heard a response from someone outside. He was eventually pulled out of the pipe by his colleague Ronald Ramoutar, who he later learned had been warned by Paria officials against intervening.

Before being taken to the San Fernando General Hospital, Boodram reportedly told officials of the condition of his colleagues and pleaded with them to rescue them. The men were not rescued and their bodies were recovered days later.

Summarising the negligence claims against the companies, the lawyers claimed they failed to identify the potential hazards associated with the job and implement measures to ensure an effective emergency response.

The lawyers alleged that Paria failed to ensure that LMCS had proper health and safety equipment for their staff and could safely and competently complete the job. They further claimed that Paria and LMCS failed to properly clear the pipeline before the divers were allowed to commence work.

“Failure, in all circumstances, to adhere to industry safety standards by taking steps to ensure the safety of the Claimant and other workers,” they said.

They also criticised Paria for preventing a rescue operation and quoted some of the findings of the Commission of Enquiry (CoE) appointed by the government to probe the incident following public furore over the tragedy.

O the loss and damage suffered by Boodram, his lawyers claimed he still suffers mental anguish and “continues to be haunted by the memories of his friends’ suffering and the inability to help them despite promising them that he will get assistance.”

They said he has been unable to return to work as he suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

“The haunting memories of the incident, coupled with the ongoing emotional distress, make it challenging for him to concentrate, engage with colleagues, or function effectively in a work environment at present, and for the foreseeable future,” they said.

They claimed that Boodram has suffered from neuropsychiatric disorders, including amnesia, since the incident.

“He frequently misplaces items and forgets his scheduled medical appointments for example,” they said, adding that he also suffers from linguistic difficulties.

“He relives the nightmare on a daily basis and is unable to get a good night’s sleep.”

They claimed that he lost out on more than $400,000 in income since the incident as he previously worked on a freelance basis with other dive companies and as a fisherman in his free time.

Boodram’s lawyers also claimed that he will require weekly therapeutic support for the next decade and the medical bills will be approximately $312,000.

Nagassar’s lawyers are claiming compensation for the pain and suffering he endured, $25,000 for loss of expectation of life and loss of earnings for the 46-year-old based on the $9,800 monthly salary he received from LMCS as well as private work.

They are also seeking $53,350, which represents the money expended by his family for his funeral.

Nagassar was the sole breadwinner in his family and his lawyers are claiming compensation for his common-law wife and five-year-old daughter estimated at an annual rate of $85,000 until he would have retired.

The duo is also being represented by Kent Samlal, Robert Abdool-Mitchell, Sue Ann Deosaran, and Natasha Bisram.

After the tragedy, the Cabinet initially appointed a five-member team to investigate but the move was scrapped due to public criticism and a CoE was appointed.

In its report, the commission chaired by King’s Counsel Jerome Lynch presented several dozen recommendations, including occupational safety and health charges.

It also recommended that Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Roger Gaspard, SC, consider prosecuting Paria for gross negligence manslaughter.

In July, DPP Gaspard wrote to Police Commissioner Erla Harewood-Christopher to initiate an investigation to determine whether there was sufficient evidence to prosecute any person or entity.

Around the same time, Paria issued a release claiming that the LMCS and the legal representatives of the victims’ families were frustrating its attempts to settle compensation claims.

Ramadhar denied the claims and called on Paria to pay each of the men’s families $5 million in compensation.

Last month, LMCS’s legal team wrote to Ramadhar and Ramlogan suggesting they direct their legal action to Paria and not their client. The company’s lawyers dismissed any imputation of culpability attached to it by the commission and claimed Paria should be held solely liable for what transpired.

They suggested that even if their clients were partially responsible for the initial accident as alleged, Paria’s handling of the response absolved it.

After being served with pre-action protocol letters threatening the lawsuits, Paria reportedly claimed that only LMCS should be held liable.

LMCS did admit that they owed their workers’ families and Boodram compensation under the Workmen’s Compensation Act but claimed payments could not be made until its claim to its insurer was determined.

The company claimed it pursued litigation when it made a claim shortly after the incident but did not receive a response.

Earlier this year, the Occupational Safety and Health Authority and Agency (OSHA) brought 15 charges against the companies, Paria’s general manager Mushtaq Mohammed, its terminal operations manager Collin Piper and LMCS director Kazim Ali Snr.

Mohammed is facing four charges for facilitating a breach of the OSH Act by failing to prepare an emergency plan based on a risk assessment and by failing to ensure the divers were not exposed to a safety risk.

Paria is charged with four offences for failing to ensure that the divers were not exposed to risk, for failing to implement an emergency plan based on a risk assessment, for failing to revise the emergency plan through consultation with worker representatives and failing to conduct an annual assessment of the potential risks to employees of third party contractors such as the divers.

Piper is accused of allegedly failing to ensure that employees of the third-party contractors were not exposed to health and safety risks.

Ali is facing three charges for neglecting to ensure the health, safety and welfare of his employees, failing to perform annual risk assessments and neglecting to provide training, instructions and supervision to ensure the safety of the workers.

His company was charged with failing to perform a risk assessment, failing to ensure its workers’ safety, and failing to provide them with proper training and supervision.

The three officials and the two companies denied any wrongdoing when they reappeared in court last month.

The outcome of the charges might be affected by a landmark case over the laying of charges under the OSH Act which is currently being considered by the United Kingdom-based Privy Council.

In that case, a decision by the Court of Appeal over the time limit for bringing charges under the legislation is being challenged.

The Appeal Court ruled that health and safety charges and criminal charges had to be filed six months after the conduct occurred, while civil claims could be brought within two years.

https://www.guardian.co.tt/news/paria-a ... 92a28de42f

This prolly why they paying out

[Redress10]

That case still ongoing. Is it that they giving them a million dollars and they sign NDAs and drop the civil suits against the state company?

Where this 1 million figure come from? What grounds the government have in paying this? Does this apply to every industrial accident moving forward?

If the government could just give away money like this without justification then can the give it to prisoners who spend too much time on remand yard etc? The prime minister has the ability to just go to cabinet and pay millions of dollars to people jusso?

[redmanjp]

stuarty say give them the million now and let paria & lmcs decide which of them liable after.

[sMASH]

They did with the Daryl Smith and the sexual misconduct suit... Pay she with nda then tell the public was some sort of gratuity that totally unrelated ...
... To avoid an official legal judgment

[hover11]

stuarty say give them the million now and let paria & lmcs decide which of them liable after.

So stupid question, what the million dollars for other thaan an election gimmick ....an act of good faith after three years?

Sent from my SM-N986U1 using TriniTuner mobile app

[Redress10]

They did with the Daryl Smith and the sexual misconduct suit... Pay she with nda then tell the public was some sort of gratuity that totally unrelated ...
... To avoid an official legal judgment

Madness. Trinis jokey yes. I probably overthinking things. What stopping a PM from going to cabinet and giving a partner 100 million dollars jusso? You mean it have no checks and balances where a PM has to justify these sort of payments via parliament at least? Ya pm could just write a blank check jusso?

[sMASH]

How the office of the prime minister got a $50m entertainment budget late last year ...

Himself to himself.

[The_Honourable]

Stephen Reis - Lowest election gimmick ever

https://www.tiktok.com/@stephanreis1806 ... 7967600134

[sMASH]

Is not just a gimmick... Is to upend the civil suit.

[Supra GT-FOUR]

They did with the Daryl Smith and the sexual misconduct suit... Pay she with nda then tell the public was some sort of gratuity that totally unrelated ...
... To avoid an official legal judgment

Madness. Trinis jokey yes. I probably overthinking things. What stopping a PM from going to cabinet and giving a partner 100 million dollars jusso? You mean it have no checks and balances where a PM has to justify these sort of payments via parliament at least? Ya pm could just write a blank check jusso?

Redress what are your thoughts on a person serving 1 day as prime minister yet he will receive over 1 million a year (tax free as well) for the rest of his life ? Is this not taxpayers money?
Is this fiscally responsible considering it's the public purse?

[The_Honourable]

Families of the paria divers gives stuart young an ultimatum, demands ex gratia payment from the government in 7 days

[The_Honourable]

When is the promised $1 million?

Attorney Prakash Ramadhar has called on Prime Minister Stuart Young to honour his word and pay the $1 million promised to each of the families of the four deceased divers and the lone survivor of the Paria incident.

On April 3, during a post-Cabinet news conference, Young announced that Cabinet had decided Government would pay $1 million to each of the families of the divers who died in the Paria pipeline tragedy on February 25, 2022—Fyzal Kurban, Yusuf Henry, Kazim Ali Jr, and Rishi Nagassar—as well as to survivor Christopher Boodram.

Young stated that the payment was being made without admission of liability, as Paria and its insurers remain involved in litigation regarding the incident.

On April 8, at a news conference, Ramadhar, who represents Kurban’s family, announced that a letter had been issued to the Prime Minister, giving the Government a one-week deadline to pay the $1 million to the family.

Ramadhar highlighted the financial struggles faced by the victims’ families, including the challenges Kurban’s daughter has been experiencing in covering her tuition and living expenses in Canada.

According to Ramadhar, an outstanding balance of $600,000 in tuition fees remain, and she will be unable to complete her final semesters unless payments are made.

‘Worse than disappointment’

Legal letters were sent to the Office of the Prime Minister on behalf of Celisha Kurban and her daughter.

The Express contacted Ramadhar yesterday for an update.

He said the Office of the Prime Minister had confirmed receipt of the letters, but there has been no communication regarding the payments.

Asked if he was disappointed that no action has been taken, Ramadhar said, “It’s worse than disappointment—it’s a level of disgust.”

He argued that Young’s announcement came “too little, too late”, but added that it raised the families’ expectations that the payment would be made, and it was cruel not to follow through.

“I cannot understand how the Government can treat human beings like this. They went through the horror of the deaths, and now after everything they went through, it’s like rubbing salt in their wounds,” he said.

Asked if he still hopes the payment will be made before the general election on Monday, Ramadhar said, “The dignity of the Office of the Prime Minister is at stake. It’s not a personal statement—when a prime minister speaks, he speaks on behalf of the office, representing the leadership of a country. I expect the right and decent thing to be done by the Office of the Prime Minister.”

Ramadhar said if the payment is not made and Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar becomes prime minister, she will “right this wrong”, recalling that she had made public comments on the matter.

Having served in Persad-Bissessar’s cabinet between 2010 and 2015, Ramadhar said he knew her commitment to the people and her compassion.

He said it was now up to the population to judge the promises that have been made but not fulfilled.

“It is for every citizen to make a judgment. When you make a promise in circumstances like these, where the consequences are terrible for the people during an election period, I don’t need to say anything. It is for the people to decide,” he said.

https://trinidadexpress.com/newsextra/w ... 4c16a.html

[The_Honourable]

Govt okays $1m payments for Paria victims’ families, survivor

The Government has approved the $1 million ex-gratia payment for each of the families of the deceased divers and the lone survivor of the Paria Fuel Company tragedy, which occurred three years ago.

A letter dated April 22, 2025, sent from the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Energy to attorneys Devi Ramnarine and Saira Lakhan, of Magnus Chambers, advised that the Government has approved the payment of an ex-gratia award in the sum of $1 million to the estate of Fyzal Kurban, who died as a result of a diving incident on February 25, 2022, at No 36 Sealine Riser on Berth No 6 of the Paria Fuel Trading Company located in the Gulf of Paria.

It also noted that the ex-gratia payment is not to be “construed with the admittance of any liability or wrongdoing” on the part of the Ministry of Energy or the Government.

“In this regard, the Ministry of Energy is requesting information with respect to whom the payments will be made to,” stated the letter.

The Express understands that letters were also sent to the families of the deceased divers—Kazim Ali Jnr, Yusuf Henry and Rishi Nagassar, and survivor Christopher Boodram.

Congress of the People (COP) political leader Prakash Ramadhar said yesterday a response letter was sent to the Energy Ministry providing the ­requested information.

“On the 22nd (April) we received communication from the Ministry of Energy indicating that the Government had approved the payment and now seeking information as to how the payment should be made,” he said in a video sent to the media.

Ramadhar said there was no indication that the budget has been approved, that the money is available, or when the funds will be paid.

“Until that cheque is in hand that will go into our clients’ account to be distributed upon the issues of the estate...we shall wait to see; don’t tell me, show me,” he said.

He added that the attorneys wrote to the ministry indicating that the cheque is to be made payable to Magnus Chambers to be held in their client’s account for distribution.

“So, let’s see how long they will take to respond, if they do before the elections,” he said.

He stressed that if the payment is not made before the election, the next Government must see it through.

Ramadhar reminded the public that over the past three-plus years, “not a cent” was paid to the fami­lies, even though many applications were made to the Government for them to do the “right and proper” thing.

He noted that on April 3, Prime Minister Stuart Young announced that Cabinet had taken a decision to give $1 million in ex-gratia payments to the four families and the survivor.

Ramadhar recalled that on April 8, at a news conference, he announced that a letter had been sent to the Office of the Prime Minister asking that the payment be made by April 14.

He said he assumed efforts were taken to make the payment after he publicly indicated that he would begin a countdown to the election to highlight that no money was paid as promised.

The Express sent questions to Young, asking when the cheques will be given to the families and whether he will be doing so himself, but there was no immediate response yesterday.

https://trinidadexpress.com/news/local/ ... a1214.html

[The_Honourable]

Government has reaffirmed its commitment to compensating the families of the victims of the 2022 Paria diving tragedy, but Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has acknowledged that the process is fraught with legal complexities.

[The_Honourable]

New podcast investigates Paria diving disaster in Trinidad and Tobago



A new investigative podcast, Pipeline, is bringing international attention to a catastrophic but little-known tragedy that shook Trinidad and Tobago.

The series, hosted by journalist Isabelle Stanley, tells the story of the Paria pipeline disaster, in which four divers died after being trapped in an underwater pipeline. Despite its gravity, the event has remained largely hidden from global view – until now.

Described as “explosive” and “forensic,” Pipeline uncovers allegations of criminal negligence, failed rescue efforts, and deep-rooted political connections.

It’s a story of tragedy, cover-up and survival, told with unprecedented access and first-hand accounts.

At the heart of the podcast is the sole survivor, Christopher Boodram, speaking publicly for the first time. There’s also GoPro audio from inside the pipe, which captures the men’s final hours.

Autopsy findings suggest the men were alive inside the pipe for hours and one of them potentially surviving for nearly two days.

Rescue efforts were reportedly blocked, with armed coastguard personnel ordered by Paria, part of the state-owned oil company, to prevent any attempt to save the trapped divers.

To date, no one has been held accountable, and the families of the victims have received no compensation.

Revelations from the series include allegations of deliberate obstruction of rescue attempts, ignored safety warnings and protocol failures, plus close ties between oil executives and senior politicians.

Stanley’s investigation takes her from grieving relatives to the highest levels of government and corporate power, as she asks the question: why were those four men left to die?

The podcast also explores the potential political ramifications of the disaster. Former Attorney General Anand Ramlogan claims: “One of the factors that would have influenced their decision to call the election so early was to pre-empt this podcast series.”

In a twist that adds urgency to the unfolding story, one of the series’ key contributors has now been elected Prime Minister and is committed to get justice for the victims’ families.

From DMG Media, Pipeline is an active investigation, with new leads emerging and political change underway.

Episodes one and two are available on all podcast platforms from today, Thursday 22nd May.

https://podcastingtoday.co.uk/new-podca ... nd-tobago/

[pugboy]

first time hearing about gopro audio
do divers nowadays carry gopro as standard?

[bluefete]

The Daily Mail Reading Version of What The Honourable posted on Thursday. I noticed he never mentioned that it was the DM doing this. LOL.

This week the Daily Mail launched our podcast, Pipeline, to dig into the question that has shattered families and scarred a nation - why were these men left to die?

By ISABELLE STANLEY and ANDREW JEHRING

Published: 00:08 BST, 24 May 2025 | Updated: 01:40 BST, 24 May 2025

As Christopher Boodram squinted in the darkness trying to work out where he was, he knew he was in trouble. His eyes were burning with toxic fumes.

The last thing the commercial diver remembered was struggling to repair an oil pipe in the Caribbean sea.

Now, he was lying flat on his back deep in thick black liquid and had to crane up his neck to reach the tiny pocket of air above him to breathe.

Reaching out with his hands and feet he found he was surrounded, encased, by a tube of corroded metal barely wider than his shoulders.

He tried to sit up and scraped his head on the harsh metal. That was when he knew for certain where he was: he was trapped inside the pipeline – somewhere deep beneath the waves.

'I wasn't sure if I was alive or if this was Hell,' Christopher told the Daily Mail.

'I was in pitch black. In pain. I could hear screams and bawling. If you read any biblical book and they explain Hell to you, they will tell you that you're on fire. My body was burning all over.'

Three years have passed since Christopher, now 39, was trapped off the coast of Trinidad and Tobago.


Christopher's voice is still edged with fear as he tells us the story at the heart of Pipeline, the Daily Mail's six-part investigative podcast that launched this week

But his soft Trinidadian voice is still edged with fear as he tells us the story at the heart of Pipeline, the Daily Mail's six-part investigative podcast that launched this week.

On February 25, 2022, the married father-of-five had been carrying out a routine repair with four fellow divers – below the waterline but close to the surface – when, with no warning, they were sucked into the 30in-wide pipe and pulled more than 60ft down.

Half-submerged in oily water and gasping for breath, the men came to a sudden halt where there was an air pocket deep inside the line as it snaked along the seabed.

Incredibly, they had all survived, although at least two had broken bones. All were in agony, disorientated and terrified they would die a slow death beneath the sea.

Over three long hours, Christopher alone managed to claw his way back through the pipe towards the surface.

He was hauled out by divers – barely alive – and told them that the other men were still alive inside the pipe. They could still be saved. He implored them to send help.

But no one did. Instead, the Paria Fuel Trading Company, the Trinidadian state-owned oil firm that controls the pipeline and had commissioned the contracting firm the divers were working for that day, prevented rescuers from going into the pipe.

By the time six days had passed, the bodies of the four men had been flushed out to clear the line.


On Friday 25th February 2022, Christopher Boodram and four of his friends were sucked into an underwater oil pipe and pulled hundreds of feet under the sea

An autopsy showed they had not died quickly in the cramped pipe. One of them may have lived for up to 39 hours.

Yet three years on, not one person has been brought to justice. Neither Christopher nor the families of those killed have received a penny in compensation.

While the world was captivated by the rescue of 15 young footballers from a Thai cave in 2018 and horrified by the Titan submersible disaster of 2023, few outside the Caribbean have heard of the 'Paria Diving Tragedy'.

But this one horrifying question refuses to go away: why were four men left to die under the sea?

As Pipeline uncovers, this is a story of failing safety standards, lucrative contracts and secretive political relationships.

We knocked on the doors of some of Trinidad's most powerful men and confronted the then-prime minister at Parliament.

Our enquiries might even have triggered an early election on the island last month – an election that could change everything for the victims of the Paria Tragedy.

To hear the full detail of what we uncovered, you will have to listen to our Pipeline podcast. But today, we walk you through the key events of that horrifying day.


The men were working in a small air-filled room, called a habitat, about 15ft below the surface at Berth 6, pictured

Christopher had woken early at his home in San Fernando, the industrial capital of Trinidad.

He prayed, did his daily exercises, then kissed his wife Candy and five children goodbye before heading to work.

Unlike its Caribbean neighbours, which rely heavily on tourism, Trinidad gets its money primarily from oil and gas. Oil industry paraphernalia is everywhere you look in San Fernando and almost everyone there is linked to the industry in some way.

Some are extraordinarily wealthy and enjoy charmed lives in gated hilltop mansions overlooking the ocean.

Among them are Paria executives whose lucrative positions have raised eyebrows, given some lack nearly any experience in the oil industry.

Others are like Christopher and his four fellow divers that day, Kazim Ali Jnr (36), Yusuf Henry (31), Fyzal Kurban (57) and Rishi Nagassar (48).

They were colleagues who described each other as brothers, bonded by years of sweat and graft in labour-intensive jobs.

The five men worked for Land and Marine Contracting Services (LMCS), a Caribbean company commissioned by Paria Fuel Trading Company to fix an oil pipe leak about a mile and a half from San Fernando.



The divers only had two oxygen tanks between them and as they went through the pipe they reached the end of the air bubble

That morning the weather was miserable but it marked the start of the Carnival weekend in Trinidad so the men were excited to finish and get home to celebrate with their families.

They took a boat out to Berth 6 – the oil platform just by the leaking pipe – where they put on their scuba gear and did their final checks. Before they climbed into the sea, they posed for a photo. It was to be the last picture of them all alive.

The oil pipe they were repairing is a U-shape that goes 60ft down from Berth 6, across the sea floor 1,200ft towards the coast, and up to the surface at another platform called Berth 5 near Pointe-a-Pierre, a town just up the coast from San Fernando.

At both platforms, when operational, ships dock to either deposit oil into the line or pick it up – a line connects Berth 5 to the refinery on the mainland.

The divers swam down about 15ft and entered a hatch on the underside of the so-called 'habitat' in which they would be working.

The habitat is an 8ft by 8ft underwater oxygenated chamber that had been fitted around the leaking section of pipe.

They hung up their scuba gear and oxygen tanks inside and got to work. The plan was simple – cut away and replace the leaking section of pipe.

Days earlier, while the leaky pipe was still intact, they had lowered an inflatable bung from the top at Berth 6 down the line to just below where they would be working. Then they inflated it to seal the pipe while they operated.

Their last task that day, once the leaky section of pipe had been removed, was to take out the inflatable bung. They expected to ease it out gently.


Christopher was consumed by guilt and grief. ‘I made promises that I eventually couldn't keep,’ he told the Daily Mail's Pipeline podcast, ‘and that is something that I can't let go of.’ Pictured: Christopher and his wife, Candy


Now Chtistopher – and the whole of Trinidad – are left with one question: why were those four men left to die deep beneath the sea?

But, as it deflated, the bung was violently sucked down the hole.

Suddenly, seawater crashed up through the habitat's hatch, filling the chamber and cascading down the pipe. It formed a terrifying vortex.

'I saw the water just start to rise,' Christopher said. 'I say, 'Yo, this thing filling up. Let we get out of here. Stop all you're doing. Let we get out of here.'

He was standing on a raised platform, but within seconds the water had risen to his feet. He had no time to think. Christopher jumped, hoping to swim out of the hatch to safety.

'As I jumped, instead of feeling gravity pulling me down, I actually felt like the water just come up and meet me,' he said.

The men had fallen victim to a catastrophic turn of events. Unknown to them, a terrible mistake had been made weeks before – a mistake we explore in our podcast.

It meant the moment they removed that bung it created a powerful suction force that pulled sea water straight into the habitat where they were working and washed men and water alike down into the pipeline.

In an instant, Christopher was hurtling straight down towards the sea floor. 'I'm passing through the pipe at unbelievable speeds,' he said. At the time, though, amid the chaos, he had no idea he was in the oil line.

Christopher desperately tried to stop himself by wedging his body against the sides of the pipe – all the time holding his breath to stop himself drowning in the oily water, his lungs burning.

READ THE REST AT THE LINK BELOW. TOO MUCH TO COPY RIGHT NOW!

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/articl ... -pipe.html

[matr1x]

The need to put the board of directors in the pipe

[bluefete]

The need to put the board of directors in the pipe

Fully agree with you.

[The_Honourable]

Paria pays out $8.4m to attorneys in diving tragedy

PARIA Fuel Trading Company Ltd has revealed it paid over $8.4 million in legal fees for representation at the commission of enquiry (CoE) into the 2022 diving tragedy, but continues to withhold the exact fees paid to each lawyer involved.

In a letter dated June 10, attorneys from the law firm Johnson, Camacho & Singh (JCS) wrote to Freedom Law, the firm representing former Petrotrin employee Anthony Dopson. Dopson filed a freedom of information (FOI) request in January asking for a breakdown of legal fees paid by Paria during the 2023 enquiry into the February 25, 2022, incident, in which five LMCS divers died after being trapped in a pipeline at Pointe-a-Pierre. One survived the ordeal.

In response, JCS provided six redacted cover letters and invoices totalling $8,439,492.70. The documents listed the names of the attorneys who represented Paria ­– Gilbert Peterson SC, Jason Mootoo SC, Gretel Baird, Thane Pierre, and Sebastian Peterson ­– but did not indicate how much each was paid. According to the letters, Peterson, as lead counsel, received the full payments and was responsible for distributing fees among the team. On February 6, JCS attorney Kendell Alexander said the company had already responded to similar FOI requests in the past.

He argued that releasing individual fee amounts could pose a security risk as attorneys were being targeted by criminals. “In light of the present socio-economic climate in Trinidad and Tobago, in which attorneys-at-law are being targeted by criminal elements, it is our client’s position that it would be an unreasonable disclosure of personal information to provide documents disclosing the names of each attorney-at-law on Paria’s commission of enquiry team and the total fees paid to them.

“Should this information be made public, as previous disclosures were, these attorneys-at-law may find themselves being targeted.”

Alexander said that while Paria recognised its obligations under the FOI Act, it believed that the safety of the lawyers outweighed the public’s right to know the exact breakdown of fees. He said Paria would not provide further disclosure unless Dopson agreed not to publish the information.

However, in a response, the next day, Freedom Law attorney Aasha Ramlal criticised Paria’s refusal, calling it “arbitrary and irrational.” She warned that legal action could follow.

Ramlal argued that the public had a right to know how taxpayers' money is being spent and described Paria’s position as contrary to principles of transparency and accountability. She said legal fees paid with public funds do not fall under the category of "personal information" under the FOI Act.

Ramlal also dismissed the company’s safety concerns as speculative, pointing out that the salaries of public officials, including the Prime Minister and judges, are already public knowledge. She added that previous governments have disclosed legal fees paid to attorneys without issue and said Paria could have offered redacted copies if it was concerned about privacy.

“Paria’s position does not hold up under scrutiny and is open to legal challenge,” Ramlal said. She insisted that the public deserves to know whether legal fees were reasonable and justified, especially given TT’s financial challenges. Ramlal said full disclosure would help build public trust, show whether taxpayers are getting value for money, and prevent any suspicion of waste or corruption. British King’s Counsel Jerome Lynch chaired the CoE along with sub-sea specialist Gregory Wilson at $15.68 million. The commissioners and the commission’s legal team received $10,790,000, the final report laid in Parliament said.

On May 23, at a post-cabinet press briefing, Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar made it clear that people doing business with the government must expect public scrutiny. She was addressing the government rental issue but also criticised lawyers who received government briefs under the former People’s National Movement (PNM) administration but did not want their names or fees made public.

“I’m coming for those ‘eat ah food’ lawyers soon. You’ll be shocked by the amount of money being spent, but we can’t even get a name? You can’t hide behind privacy,” she added. Persad-Bissessar’s government has not yet announced a new board of directors for Paria. On February 25, 2022, five divers from Land and Marine Contracting Services Limited (LMCS) ­– Christopher Boodram, Fyzal Kurban, Rishi Nagassar, Yusuf Henry, and Kazim Ali Jr ­– were pulled into a 30-inch pipeline while working at Paria’s Pointe-a-Pierre facility. Boodram was the only one who managed to escape. The other four died.

After criticism from the public, the then-cabinet replaced an initial investigative team with a CoE, which delivered its findings last year. The CoE made several recommendations, including possible charges under the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Act. It also advised that the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Roger Gaspard SC, consider filing manslaughter charges against Paria for gross negligence.

In July last year, the DPP wrote to then-police commissioner Erla Harewood-Christopher asking for an investigation to see if criminal charges could be brought. At the time, Paria claimed that LMCS and the families’ lawyers were delaying compensation. But attorney Prakash Ramadhar, who represents Kurban and Henry’s families, denied this and called on Paria to pay each family $5 million.

LMCS’s lawyers also responded, saying legal action should be directed at Paria. They denied responsibility and said even if LMCS was partly at fault for the accident, Paria’s actions after the incident made it solely responsible. LMCS admitted it owed money to the divers’ families and Boodram under the Workmen’s Compensation Act, but said it could not pay until its insurance claim was settled. The company said it had filed a claim soon after the tragedy but received no response and had to take legal action.

Meanwhile, the Occupational Safety and Health Authority and Agency (OSHA) laid 15 charges under the OSH Act against Paria, LMCS, Paria's general manager Mushtaq Mohammed, terminal operations manager Collin Piper, and LMCS director Kazim Ali Sr, whose son was one of the victims. In April, former prime minister Stuart Young announced that the cabinet had approved a one-time payment of $1 million to each diver’s family. He said this payment did not mean the state accepted legal responsibility, but it was a step to ease the families’ suffering while the insurers for Paria and LMCS argued over liability. At the swearing-in of her cabinet, Persad-Bissessar and new Attorney General John Jeremie, SC, said they would investigate whether the former government followed through on these payments. At a subsequent post-cabinet briefing, while promising support for the affected families, the Prime Minister admitted the issue of compensation was a complex legal matter that could take time.

“We’re looking at it to see how best we can do it, but there’s a bit of a complication which I’d need further advice on from the lawyers for the state, which represents taxpayers,” she said.“I don’t want to run out there without having sufficient knowledge, legal and otherwise, on how best to proceed,” she said, adding government was looking at having the parties come together before a judicial officer to see if a judicial settlement could be arrived at for the families.

https://newsday.co.tt/2025/06/17/paria- ... g-tragedy/

[bluefete]

^^ $8.4 million paid to "eat-ah-food" lawyers but the families of the victims are still suffering.

PNM - WICKED AND VINDICTIVE!

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/articl ... harts.html

Mail's gripping podcast Pipeline - which tells the horrifying story of five divers sucked into an undersea oil pipe - reaches TOP spot in US Apple charts
LISTEN: Pipeline - the harrowing story of the Paria pipeline disaster that shook Trinidad and Tobago to its core. Available wherever you get your podcasts now
By CHRIS POLLARD and JOSEPH PALMER

Published: 16:00 BST, 18 June 2025 | Updated: 17:05 BST, 18 June 2025

The Daily Mail's gripping podcast Pipeline is now the top series in the US Apple Podcast charts, and second in Australia.

The bombshell documentary, which tells the story of a group of divers left to die in an undersea oil pipe, has topped the all-genres charts less than four weeks after the first episode aired.

It has fought off competition from heavyweight podcast producers including Sony, ABC News and even Apple itself.

Pipeline tells the story of five professional divers who were tasked with repairing an undersea oil pipe off the coast of Trinidad and Tobago in February 2022.

Due to unexpected air pressure within the 30in-wide pipe, all five men were sucked hundreds of feet into it as they were putting the finishing touches to their work.

One of the divers managed to escape but the other four were left to die, with an autopsy later revealing one may have been alive for up to 39 hours.

Pipeline's international success has been down to its incredible story that taps into everyone's worst nightmare, according to the Mail's head of podcasts Jamie East.

'I just couldn't believe that more hadn't been made of this story,' he said of his thoughts after the idea was pitched to him by reporter Isabelle Stanley, who hosts the show.

'The fact that it turned into this huge, disgraceful cover-up, and that the divers could have been saved, is just unbelievable.

'It has been really pleasing to give a voice to the victims' families, who have been trying to get justice and compensation for their loved ones for years. We hope that this will spur them on to do that.'

One of the divers, Christopher Boodram, 39, managed to escape after an unimaginable three-hour ordeal.

But after dragging his injured body through the filthy, flooded, pitch-dark depths of the narrow pipe, he was dashed to hospital where he later discovered to his horror that rescue missions for his trapped colleagues had been repeatedly blocked.

In fact, Paria Fuel Trading Company, the Trinidadian state-owned oil firm that controlled the pipeline, was actively preventing rescuers from going into the pipe.


Due to unexpected air pressure within the 30in-wide pipe, all five men were sucked hundreds of feet into it as they were putting the finishing touches to their work

Pipeline tells a riveting story of human survival, betrayal and lies, and probes the one horrifying question refuses to go away: why were four men left to die under the sea?

It uncovers evidence of failing safety standards, lucrative contracts and secretive political relationships, confronts some of Trinidad's most powerful men and confronts its then-prime minister.

The dogged enquiries may even have triggered an early election on the island, as politicians sought to protect themselves from bad publicity over the deaths of Fyzal Kurban, 57, Rishi Nagassar, 48, Kazim Ali Jr, 37, and Yusuf Henry, 31.

The team that travelled to Trinidad and Tobago to carry out the investigation for the show also included producer Bella Soames and journalist Andy Jehring.

'I'm really pleased that Pipeline has been so successful around the world. It's thanks to a lot of hard work from Bella and Isabelle, they worked incredibly hard for months.

'They've lived this story, and it shows - if you immerse yourself in the story and give it the credit it deserves, then it makes a real difference, and listeners obviously agree.'

He added Apple was very supportive and contacted him this morning to tell him Pipeline had become the number one series in the US.