Paria tragedy survivor, families get $1m

Survivor of the Paria diving tragedy Christopher Boodram and the families of Rishi Nagessar and Fyzal Kurban received an ex-gratia payment of $1 million from Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar on January 22 at the Diplomatic Centre, St Ann’s.

In a release on the same day, the Office of the Prime Minister said the Prime Minister said that for far too long, the suffering and struggles of the survivor and bereaved families were ignored by the previous administration, which chose instead to expend public funds on legal fees rather than providing direct assistance and compassion to those left behind.

“She made it clear that what these men endured should never have occurred, and reaffirmed her government’s commitment to accountability, humanity, and the principle that no citizen will ever be left behind.”

The release said the ex-gratia payments began on January 22 with the first three families and will continue progressively to the remaining families in the period ahead.

Boodram and four other divers — Kazim Ali Jr, Yusuf Henry, Rishi Nagassar, and Fyzal Kurban — were performing maintenance on a 30-inch underwater pipeline at Berth 6, Pointe-a-Pierre, on February 25, 2022, when they were suddenly sucked into the line by a powerful differential pressure event, known as Delta P.

Boodram was the only one to escape after spending nearly four hours trapped in the dark, oil-filled pipeline.

The report of the Commission of Enquiry into the tragedy, laid in the House of Representatives on January 19, 2024, said the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) should consider charging the Paria Fuel Trading Company with corporate manslaughter. The report said there was evidence to prosecute Paria manager Colin Piper and LMCS head Kazim Ali Snr (whose son died in the tragedy) and their firms for offences under the Occupational Safety and Health Act.

On April 3, 2025, prime minister Stuart Young, speaking at a post-Cabinet media briefing, said the delay in payments to the families was because the insurers for LMCS and Paria could not agree which company was liable. He said the government would pay $1 million to the lone survivor, and $1 million each, to the families of the four men who died.

On May 8, 2025, Persad-Bissessar said the payment might have to be settled through a judicial settlement, due to a possible conflict of interest.