Christopher Boodram, the lone survivor of the tragic incident at Paria Fuel Trading Company on February 25, will give evidence before the Commission of Enquiry (CoE) into the LMCS/Paria Diving Tragedy today.
However, CoE chairman Jerome Lynch, KC, told attorneys at yesterday’s first hearing to exercise some restraint when questioning Boodram, given his traumatic experience eight months ago.
Lynch said any cross-examination of Boodram must, therefore, be done with sensitivity and limited to questions on the incident only.
Unlike other witnesses, the CoE will hear Boodram’s full testimony.
Lynch said that what Boodram accomplished to not only help others and extricate himself from the 30-inch diameter pipeline off the Port of Pointe-a-Pierre was nothing short of heroic.
“You will all readily understand this is extremely difficult for him. What he went through on the afternoon of February 25 of this year was, in anyone’s view, a horrifying experience that lives with him every day,” Lynch said.
Boodram and LMCS colleagues In his opening statement, counsel for the CoE, Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj, explained that Sealine No 36 had a faulty section on its riser. The riser at Berth 6 developed a leak below sea level, and the work required was the cutting and replacement of the defective portion.
LMCS installed a habitat over the riser underwater, where the divers carried out the repairs.
An examination of Boodram’s statement indicated that the divers removed a mechanical plug from the pipeline. They were in the process of extracting the inflatable plug, which loosened its seal.
His colleague, Ali Jr, entered the chamber to check the divers, and Boodram saw the water rising in the habitat. He remembered jumping into the water to swim out of the habitat. However, he felt his body rising instead of sinking.
Boodram stated: “I remember being swirled inside the chamber like a tornado. The chamber was pitch black, and my body spun out of control in the water. I was sucked into the pipe, and I felt my body crashing about in the pipe.
“I remember my body was flying through the pipe at what felt like 100 miles per hour. I thought to myself that I was destined to die because I was inside the pipe. There was no air, and I was going to drown.”
Boodram recalled in his statement that he could not see anything and held his breath for as long as he could. He said it pained his lungs and throat, but eventually, the water subsided, allowing him to breathe.
“After what felt like a lifetime, I ended up in an open area with air. The water subsided, and I was in complete darkness inside the pipe. I was not sure if I was dead or alive. I was gasping for dear life.“
Boodram eventually made his way up the pipeline, where Ronald Ramoutar and Corey Crawford rescued him. He told them that the other divers were inside the pipeline.
