What happens when a rescue mission doesn’t just fail—but is seemingly blocked?
That’s the haunting question at the heart of a new episode of the Daily Mail’s Pipeline podcast, where journalist Isabelle Stanley dives into the disturbing theories surrounding one of the Caribbean’s most shocking tragedies.
Back in February 2022, five underwater divers were pulled into a massive 30-inch pipeline while carrying out maintenance work off the coast of Trinidad and Tobago.
Only one of them, Christopher Boodram, made it out alive—after surviving an excruciating three-hour struggle inside the pipe.
The other four weren’t so lucky. What’s more troubling? Repeated efforts to rescue them were blocked.
A Nation Demands Answers
The pipeline was operated by Paria Fuel Trading Company, a branch of Trinidad’s state-run oil firm.
Following the incident, the nation was outraged—and rightly so.
Why were rescue efforts delayed? Why were the remaining men not pulled out in time? The lack of answers quickly turned a tragic accident into a national scandal.
In response, then-Energy Minister Stuart Young called for an official inquiry, which was led by none other than Jerome Lynch KC, a high-profile UK barrister.
His findings were damning: a combination of mistakes, poor leadership, and Paria’s inaction led to the deaths of the four trapped divers.
Negligence or Something Worse?
Lynch’s inquiry even suggested corporate manslaughter charges be brought against the oil company.
But since then, all the public has heard from police is that an investigation is “ongoing.” No charges. No accountability. No justice.
And in that unsettling silence, conspiracy theories began to swirl.
People across Trinidad started asking the same question: What was Paria really trying to hide?
A Chilling Theory Emerges
In the podcast, Stanley explores one of the most controversial ideas—that the oil company might have chosen not to rescue the men for financial reasons.
Prakash Ramadhar, a lawyer representing two of the grieving families, shared a disturbing belief that’s been quietly circulating in the legal community:
if the divers had survived, they might have been severely injured, requiring a lifetime of medical care—and Paria would likely be on the hook to pay for it.
According to Ramadhar, Paria may have believed the divers were already dead—or would be soon.
And instead of risking a high-cost rescue of survivors who’d need care and compensation for years, they allegedly chose the cheaper option: let them die.
His words were blunt:
“As crass as it may sound, there is a belief in the legal fraternity that it may have been cheaper to allow the men to die than it was to rescue them, broken and maimed.”
Still No Justice, Only Theories
That’s just one theory, but it speaks volumes about the anger and suspicion still lingering in Trinidad.
With no arrests, no charges, and only vague police updates, the vacuum has been filled by grief—and doubt.
Stanley doesn’t just stop at one theory. In the podcast, she also digs into claims of international involvement, insurance motives, and government negligence, speaking to legal experts and investigative journalists to separate fact from fiction.
A Podcast That Demands to Be Heard
If you want to hear the full story—and make up your own mind—search for Pipeline wherever you get your podcasts.
In a case this murky, every voice matters, and every theory deserves to be examined.
Because when four men die underwater, and the people responsible walk away untouched, it’s not just a tragedy.
It’s a question that still demands an answer.