Government has issued payments to the lone survivor and families of two other victims of the Paria-LMCS diving tragedy.
Minister of Energy and Energy Industries, Dr. Roodal Moonilal, made the announcement at the Post Cabinet Media Briefing on Thursday. He also said Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar met with the families at the Diplomatic Centre.
Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar SC, in a post on X, also confirmed that she presented an ex gratia payment of TT$1 million to Mr. Christopher Boodram, the sole survivor of the Paria diving disaster, as well as to the surviving families of Mr. Rishi Nagessar and Mr. Fyzal Kurban.
She stated: “I emphasised that no amount of money can ever replace a lost loved one. However, these payments are intended to provide meaningful support and relief, and to help ease the lives of the affected families and their descendants. For far too long, the suffering and struggles of the survivor and the bereaved families were ignored by the previous administration, which chose instead to expend public funds on legal fees rather than offering direct assistance, compassion, and care to those left behind. I made it clear that what these men endured should never have occurred, and I reaffirmed my Government’s firm commitment to accountability, humanity, and the principle that no citizen will ever be left behind. The ex gratia payments commenced today with the first three families and will continue progressively to the remaining families in the period ahead.”
