Continued hope and prayers for rescue of missing divers

HOPE and prayers were still being held on to on Sunday by relatives of four divers who went missing on Friday while working on an undersea 36-inch oil pipeline.

Missing are Fyzal Kurban, Rishi Nagassar, Kazim Ali Jr and Yusuf Henry. A fifth diver with the group, Christopher Boodram, was rescued on Friday by diver Ronald Ramoutar who was also a relative of Kurban. Boodram is in stable condition at the San Fernando General Hospital.

The relatives of the missing men assembled at the car park outside Heritage Petroleum's administrative building in Pointe-a-Pierre for a second day, clinging to the hope that the men were alive and would be rescued.

Nicole Greenidge, mother of Yusuf Henry, was asked by reporters whether she thought her son was still alive.

"I am just trying to pray and hope for the best, not only for my son but all four."

Other relatives agreed with Greenidge. They said, "Broken but alive. We'll take them broken but alive."

While they prayed for the rescue of the missing men, Greenidge said this was happening against growing frustration about being kept in the dark about what was being done to rescue the men.

"The latest right now? They don't have the earliest, much less the latest. Right now, everything is spinning top in mud and going around in a circle.

“Since Friday we have been fed with lies as far as I'm concerned."

Greenidge said the authorities were not moving with any urgency.

"They're moving, as far as I'm concerned, (as if) they have bodies to pick up."

A meeting on Saturday with the families, Energy Minister Stuart Young and Paria Fuel Trading Company officials brought them little comfort.

Greenidge claimed, "What they told us and nothing is the same. The meeting ended with no kind of conclusion"

She said there were conflicting messages about whether rescue operations were underway and the progress of those operations.

Henry has four children ages five-ten.

Greenidge's daughter Afeesha Henry said, "The eldest has been contacting me throughout. The eldest is a girl."

Greenidge said Yusuf's second child "knows as well what happened." She added the third child, another daughter, "is waiting and hoping still that we will come up with some good news."

Kurban's son Nicholas, who is also a diver, has been involved in the rescue efforts.

"For the last two days we've been trying to get the men out.We got one guy (Boodram) out."

Nicholas also said two teams of divers from Chaguaramas, with unlimited air supplies and equipment to go the distance, arrived to assist.

"Paria is saying we can't go back down the line because it is unsafe.”

Even though the men have been missing for more than 36 hours, Nicholas said, "We believe they are alive." He believed they could be surviving because of air pockets in the line and there was a safe way to rescue them.

But he lamented, "Right now, everything is at a standstill."

Other relatives, who declined to give their names, shared similar feelings. One woman said, "We know there are operations taking place or have to take place."

A man added, "We are hopeful that our family is still alive."

Another man believed the authorities were acting as if the divers were already dead.

"They are not thinking that if these guys are alive, what they have to sustain themselves. They've been down there since Friday."

Another woman claimed that after the families were told by Paria officials on Saturday that rescue operations were underway, "we are now hearing that they are waiting on a permit to start (their operations)." She also slammed the media personnel who were present.

"The media is not supporting us like we thought they would."

One man wondered if there was an emergency plan for situations like this and if Paria had such a plan.

"They are giving us nothing to hold on to. This is a different level of craziness. It was difficult last night. Waiting and not hearing anything. We hope we'll know something soon."

The families were joined on Sunday by members of the Movement for Social Justice (MSJ), Oilfield Workers Trade Union (OWTU) and First Wave Movement who picketed in front the main gate of the Heritage Petroleum administrative building.

They began their demonstration around 10 am shouting, "We want justice! We want answers." Some of them held placards with these and other messages. Two placards read "Daddy when are you coming home?" and "Save our fathers."

At about 10.15 am, a convoy of police and army vehicles sped past with their occupants entering the Heritage Petroleum compound.

At 10.45 am, a vehicle carrying heavy equipment entered the Heritage compound. About 20 minutes later, an ambulance arrived. Heavily-armed police officers subsequently took up positions inside and outside the compound, keeping an eye on the protesters.

MSJ political leader David Abdulah said, "Today I want to share the pain of the families of the divers who are still missing. We are here today in solidarity with you."

He said Friday’s events demonstrated everything that was wrong in TT. He blamed the PNM administration and all its predecessors for this.

He accused Government of implementing policies that "demonstrate a callous disregard for human life and for people."

Abdulah also accused Paria of pursuing policies "that are putting profit before people."

While not wanting to discuss technical issues related to the incident, Abdulah said it was obvious that systems failed. He claimed this was compounded by " bureaucracy and all kinds of dotishness that trumped saving lives."

Abdulah also claimed there were people ready to go in and rescue the divers, only to be turned away by Paria.

"As far as we are concerned, that is a criminal act to turn away persons who were prepared to risk their own lives to save the lives of others."

He slammed the company for being disrespectful to the families by providing them with no information about rescue efforts. Abdulah claimed this was a prelude of what was to come.