The Paria Fuel Trading Company Ltd has been making efforts to compensate the families affected by the Paria diving tragedy that occurred in February 2022. Unfortunately, the process has hit a roadblock due to alleged lack of cooperation by the project subcontractor LMCS and the attorneys representing the victims’ families and survivor Christopher Boodram.
The tragedy claimed the lives of four LMCS divers – Kazim Ali Jnr, Fyzal Kurban, Yusuf Henry, and Rishi Nagassar – who were working on an undersea pipeline owned by Paria in Pointe-a-Pierre. Boodram miraculously survived the incident. The Commission of Enquiry criticized Paria for not providing any no-fault compassionate payments to the victims’ families and Boodram.
In response to these criticisms, Paria released a statement in May expressing awareness of the families’ pain, grief, and financial hardships. Despite this, no compensation has been provided, leading Boodram’s attorneys to consider legal action against Paria and LMCS.
Attorney Prakash Ramadhar, representing the families of two of the victims, announced a media conference scheduled for July 30 to address the lack of compensation. Ramadhar had proposed an ex-gratia payment of $5 million to each dependant but received no positive response from Paria.
Paria, on the other hand, insists that it is actively working to advance the compensation process, but the lack of cooperation from LMCS and legal representatives of the affected families is hindering progress. The company emphasizes the need for a balanced approach to address all relevant stakeholders and claims that any deviation from this process could delay a resolution.
Although Paria remains committed to finding a swift and fair resolution, Newsday was unable to reach out to key figures at Paria and LMCS for details on the help being offered and what information is needed to move forward. LMCS attorney Kamini Persaud-Maraj has promised to examine the situation and respond accordingly.
As the families affected by this tragedy continue to seek compensation, the ongoing lack of cooperation between the involved parties adds further complications to an already tragic situation.
