Diving Survivor : 'I Failed Them'

Christopher Boodram, the lone survivor in the February 25th Paria diving incident has described being in the pipeline as an ‘unbelievable nightmare’.
Speaking during the Paria Commission of Enquiry on Tuesday, an emotional Boodram said the men formed a ‘human chain’ in the 30 inch pipe to get themselves out of the situation.

[eden]

The company pissed me off to the core! They are truly evil!! They didn’t want to save those workers because they don’t want to be held reliable, so it was easier to let them die. Truly fucking evil.

[irishlad]

This man shows more genuine sadness for the companions he lost than he does happiness that he is still alive. That shows everything about his character and even though it’s easier said than done he has no reason to feel guilty. A hero. The world need more people like him.

[joshmontgomery]

This poor man has to live with this the rest of his life, honestly my whole heart goes out to him.

[charlesferdinand]

Here are some additional facts:
1) They were in there for 4 days and on the 3rd day people were still hearing banging on the pipe
2) Paria got the coast guard to stop divers from rescuing the men trapped
3) There were multiple divers ready and willing to go in from lmcs and rescue that same hour but were all blocked from going in
4) Paria said the coast guard would be doing the rescue but the coast guard said they had no equipment
5) The families of all the divers sat in the refinery carpark for 4 days waiting to hear news about their loved ones and the company couldn't even give them some water to drink, it was community members who brought food and water for the families
6) They left those men in there to die and when 4 days had passed and they were sure they were dead they flushed the bodies out the pipe as quickly as possible; this damaged the bodies and flooded any air bubbles remaining so if the men were alive by then the flushing operation probably killed them
7) The bodies were retrieved in secret, placed in boxes to disguise them and then snuck out via a back entrance, while the family members were left waiting
8) The families were never informed that the men had died or that bodies had been retrieved; they found out via a television news program
9) No one from Paria ever met with the families at any point, they were just outright ignored
10) When questioned in the commission of inquiry it was revealed that no rescue plan was ever made; they simply sat and waited for the men to die
11) Paria had the pipeline capped off on both ends so no one else could escape.
12) Chris tried to check himself out of the hospital but was restrained and forcefully sedated on the orders of Paria who feared he was planning on mounting his own rogue rescue operation (he later confirmed he was)
13) No arrests were ever made or charges filed and no one was fired or at least suspended from the company for the failing
14) Not a single cent was paid to any family yet
15) No new security measures or operational protocols were ever implemented or existing ones updated to prevent something similar from happening; indeed, Paria never even promised or announced plans to make any changes of any kind whatsoever (the remaining and new divers that were brought in were simply told to be more careful and that it was responsibility to prevent accidents of any kind)
16) When first informed of the accident, the first thing that Paria managers asked was how much downtime there would be; this was their first and only concern
17) Paria resumed operations the very next day after the bodies were retrieved (although the company wanted to resume work the very same day but it was nighttime already); this included the pipeline where the accident occurred which was put back in use the next day as well (in fact, 5 minutes before they started using it again they flushed one last time: Bits of diving suits and human tissue were still inside and once they came out of the pipe they were simply discarded in the ocean)
18) The company has an extensive history of corruption: Its managers are in bed with the government and they use the company to do underhand business so they can steal tax money. The company was originally called Petrotin until a scandal involving the prime minister who was found to be selling the oil illegally on the side using a friend as a straw man; to avoid jail they closed the company down and started 5 new companies from it Paria being one of them. Furthermore, local rumors have always swirled around claiming that the government is doing oil deals with Venezuela secretly to avoid sanctions as Maduro and The TT prime minister Rowley are apparently good friends and if the divers had survived the spotlight would be placed on the company which would also face legal actions from these men (dead men can't sue you or go public with what they know), thus making it much harder to do their corrupt deals so they were left to die and the government-run company got away with it with no consequences

UPDATE: Clarity

[notsobluebear]

After enduring the most harrowing examples of claustrophobia that not even my imagination could fathom, this man still fought to go back into the pipe to rescue his fellow crewmen. Shame on the company for imposing the worst kind of survivor's guilt onto arguably one of the most courageous and heroic men alive

[Dessociative]

Now this poor man has to live with the guilt of losing his friend's lives all because everyone restricted him from rescuing them. This is terrible. 😭

[galacticknight]

I’ve read that Chris is currently unable to work because of the trauma. He deserves millions of dollars in compensation.

[danielwilson]

So from what I understand the company waited for them to die then collected bodies? Disgusting

[kaydenka]

Christopher you tried everything you could to save them, you did NOT fail them!
You are a hero!
If Pariah had even a fraction of your character, they would’ve saved those brave men.
The world desperately needs more people like you. ❤

[stevetheiven]

Man, you did everything you could. Survivors guilt is intense!❤

[missindependent]

God tocuh and bless this man. Make it known unto him that he did no wrong and he shouldnt blame himself for the loss of his friends. Grant him PEACE of heart and mind.

[livmilesparanormalromanceb]

God bless you, Christopher. You did everything you could to save your friends and you don’t deserve to feel guilty. You’re a hero. I pray that you will heal from the pain of that day. ❤

[cjane_world]

Poor Christopher, I hope he'll get better at some point. He is so traumatized and who wouldn't be.

[bangabangbang]

Who's here from MR.BALLEN??? This is sad & just ain't right Chris ur the man you did everything within your power to try and save them 😔 🙏 😞

[Sheriserichardson_]

The pain in this man voice omg I felt this in my soul 😭

[marciab.]

Mr. Christopher Boodram, may the peace of God be with you. May you find comfort in the fact that you were not responsible for the deaths of your companions. May the truth of the tragedy be completely revealed. My prayers are with you and the affected families.

[JohnjOcampo]

Cowards for not sending a rescue team, they were alive in there for 2 days!

[jamesburton]

This guy is so courageous bless him! He did all he could it was the company and government who failed those poor souls!

[ShaneoTheGreat]

Your company failed by not pumping the water out and air in. So much Incompetence! Chris! you are a hero that was stopped.

[bmwdiy]

Whoever had the authority to send a rescue team and chose not to deserves to be kidnapped by jigsaw and be put in a saw room.