Archbishop Gordon to Paria: 'Revisit safety procedures'

RC Archbishop Jason Gordon is calling on Paria Fuel Trading Company to revisit its safety and emergency response procedures after the deaths of four divers doing repair work on an underwater pipeline in Pointe-a-Pierre.

Gordon made the call while speaking to Newsday after officiating at the Ash Wednesday mass at the Our Lady of Perpetual Help RC Church in San Fernando.

He urged Paria, “When we have something in the (oil and natural gas) industry that goes that wrong, with so many people, it’s a moment for all of us to pray for their families and to pray for the souls of those who have died.

“And we have to ask the company to really make sure that we look at procedures again and ensure safety for all our people.”

Adding that a lot more details still need to be uncovered, including what went wrong, Gordon empathised with the families, especially in the days after the incident, when not much was known about the divers’ fate or when their bodies might be recovered.

“These are difficult moments and these are difficult experiences.

“When things like this happen, it’s always difficult for the families first and foremost, because of the waiting and the not knowing…then the bodies coming up. What went wrong? We don’t know.”

On February 25, shortly after 2.30pm, Christopher Boodram, Kazim Ali Jr, Yusuf Henry, Rishi Nagassar and Fyzal Kurban were working on the 30-inch crude oil pipeline when there was a sudden inrush of water. All five men were reportedly sucked into the pipeline. Boodram was the only survivor.

The bodies of Ali Jr, Henry and Kurban were found on Monday evening. The search for Nagassar’s body continues.