By Prior Beharry
THE diver that survived being sucked into a sea line at Pointe-a-Pierre crawled out of it drenched in crude oil.
Christopher Boodram made it to safety by using pockets of air within the 36-inch line to breathe.
This is according to his brother Larry who spoke to him about the incident that happened Friday around 3 pm at the Paria Fuel Trading Company facility.
Four other divers – Rishi Nagassar, Fyzal Kurban, Yusuf Henry and Kazim Ali Jr – were also with Boodram and are still unaccounted for.
Speaking to AZP News on Sunday, Larry said his brother still remains emotional about the incident and breaks down at times when he tries to recall what happened.
Reports indicated that a vacuum was created while the divers had almost completed the work on the 1,200-foot line used to pump fuel to Paria from ships in the Gulf of Paria. The company buys refined fuel to supply Trinidad and Tobago.
The men were about 50 feet underwater welding the pipeline which would have been empty of any fuel, sources close to the incident stated.
Boodram told his brother that the line was filled with air pockets and although it still smelled of hydrocarbons he was still able to crawl through the line using his scuba gear to aid with his breathing also.
He said he could have accounted for three other divers behind him.
Larry said the men worked in an area called a “habitat” which was about 15 to 20 feet below the water and was “like a large bowl turned upside down” under which there was oxygen so the divers used as a base and could breathe without a mask. This was over the area where they were welding the line.
He said Boodram told him that when he made his way back he managed to reach the habitat and banged on the iron to let those on the surface know that he was alive.
Larry said divers who were working on other projects nearby came to his rescue.
Boodram was rescued by his neighbour Ronald Ramoutar who is also a certified diver.
Larry said his brother suffered no broken bones but was covered in crude oil when he was rescued.
He said at the San Fernando General Hospital Boodram was tested for Covid-19 and was told that he was positive. But Larry said after doing a private test it was confirmed that he was negative.
Larry said his brother had Covid-19 in December into early January and suspected it may have been some pathogens from that that may have caused the initial positive test.
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