(Trinidad Guardian) The bodies of three of the four divers who were trapped in a Paria Fuel pipeline since Friday have been recovered.
The bodies were removed from the pipe yesterday afternoon and the families of the three men have been informed by the company.
The identities of the men is still unclear.
Paria Limited issued a statement confirming the recovery.
“It is with deep sadness that we announce the recovery of the bodies of three of the four divers who went missing on Friday 25th February 2022. The bodies of these three missing divers were recovered today (28 February 2022) around 5.55 pm. The families of the deceased were first to be notified simultaneously at 6.00 pm by Paria. Attempts to retrieve the fourth body are still ongoing,” the company said.
It added: “Paria Trading Company Limited (Paria) joins the families in mourning their loss and is continuing to provide support and counselling as they deal with this profound loss. The four men were part of a LMCS Limited crew conducting an underwater maintenance exercise at #36 Sealine riser on Berth #6 at Paria, Pointe-a-Pierre when the incident occurred. No effort was spared in the attempts to treat the bodies with the utmost respect during the recovery operation. A full investigation into the incident will be undertaken to understand the root cause of the incident. Paria joins LMCS Limited and the families in their time of grief.”
As news broke, grieving relatives attempted to storm into the gates of Paria Fuel Trading Limited on Monday evening.
President of the First Wave Movement Umar Abdullah called on the relatives to stay calm but he was shouted down.
“Nonsense, this is a waste of time. It’s three days now we are waiting,” a relative of diver Yusuff Henry shouted before she broke down in tears.
“Today is Monday and we have no word,” another relative shouted.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley has issued condolences on the deaths of the four men.
“It is with great sadness that we have just received confirmation that four citizens have lost their lives whilst on technical subsea duty at Paria facilities in the Gulf of Paria. Even as we prayed and hoped for a miracle, it was not to be. In this period of great loss and deep trauma for all the families and the national community, I extend sincerest condolences to all their loved ones,” he said in a post at 6.50 pm.
He added: “I want to give the assurance to the families that nothing will stand in the way of determining how this tragedy occurred. I also want to commit to them that all that has to be done by Paria and its associates in this matter will be professionally executed starting with the already announced independent investigation involving the best professional and technical expertise available to the country.
It is in times like these that we are called upon to be caring and comforting and I have every confidence that our nation will not be found wanting.”
The incident occurred around 3 pm Friday just off the Pointe-a-Pierre jetty as five divers employed with LMCS Ltd were conducting an underwater maintenance exercise at No 36 Sealine Riser on Berth #6.
The men were sucked into the pipeline and while one managed to free himself, the other four remained trapped since then.
