In February, a walk in Couva marked a solemn tribute to the four divers who tragically lost their lives in a pipeline at a Paria Fuel Trading Company work-site in 2022. The event, titled The Paria Platform – A Call for Justice, aimed to honor the memory of the fallen divers and demand accountability for the incident.
The echoes of this call for justice have resonated since the day it was confirmed that four out of the five divers had perished in the pipeline. The Commission of Enquiry into the incident, which concluded in November 2023, highlighted the lack of care and compassion shown to the victims’ families by all parties involved.
Chairman Jerome Lynch, KC, emphasized the need for a gesture of kindness and decency towards the families, especially during their time of need. Despite calls for ex-gratia payments and compensation, little progress has been made in providing support to the affected families.
Attorney Prakash Ramadhar, representing some of the families, has pushed for the families to receive the financial assistance they deserve. However, Paria’s lead counsel, Gilbert Peterson, SC, claimed that no compensatory measure could ease the irreparable loss suffered by the families.
Meetings with public officials, including the Director of Public Prosecutions and the Prime Minister, have left the families feeling let down and overlooked. The families are still waiting for concrete actions to be taken by Paria to support them during their time of grief.
The recent OSHA charges against key figures in the company, including LMCS head Kazim Ali Snr, signal the beginning of potential legal repercussions for those responsible for the tragedy. The families of the victims are hopeful that this may finally bring about the justice they have been seeking.
As the legal proceedings continue, the families remain steadfast in their quest for justice, undeterred by the delays they have faced. The long-awaited closure and accountability for the tragic loss of their loved ones may finally be within reach.
