Sucked Into an Oil Pipe - The Paria Diving Incident 

This story is blowing up now. It happened in my home country and no justice has been served, all rescue attempts were stopped and those guys were basically left to die then got flushed out of there. An official enquiry took place and nothing resulted. Any questions should be directed to Colin Piper, Port Operations Superintendent of Paria fuel who claims alot of "tough decisions" were made that day.

The fact that this didn't end up on national news just shows you that they rather protect the rich man instead of the hard workers that's suffered that day

I can’t believe that the people making the decision to NOT send a rescue team aren’t being held accountable.

If i was chris....... i dont think i would EVER be able to get passed this.... his friends in there.... his brothers.... how does a human being have a single night of sleep after experiencing this...... god bless him and these men's souls

I'm from trinidad and tobago and there's still no justice for these men, no kinda compensation for their families nothing and the company trying to cover it up, imagine no local news station or no social media news page had/played that video the moment they got sucked into the pipe and the time spent in the pipe. But whats in the dark always comes to light, i hope the executives from paria fuel tradings suffer more than these men we left to suffer

I bet the company is extremely unhappy that Chris made it out.

Considering how little Paria did to save them, I have this sinking feeling that if Chris never made it out, nobody would ever know about this from the company hiding everything.

NGL it broke my soul watching that man explain that no one made an attempt to save them

As a pipe welder who has had to work inside of pipes even smaller than this, this literally has me in tears. I cannot believe that the company not only opted NOT to rescue their workers, but GOT AWAY WITH LEAVING THEM FOR DEAD. I worked for oil companies and this would NEVER happen. Safety is so huge in our industry where I work. The people who made the decision to not send rescuers should be in prison at minimum, and this is honestly where I feel an eye for an eye is sometimes the way to go. Those poor men…Chris you didn’t fail them, your bosses failed them. RIP to these brave men. I hope karma has something special in store for the people who made that evil decision

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.

Just for Clarification for anyone wondering why no rescue team was sent: People at the top prefer that An accident like this remains hidden, to achieve this the first few hours were critical to PREVENT any of the divers from coming back alive to testify against the company, hence the best course of action was to NOT rescue them, unfortunately 1 guy survived and trust me, many rich people wanted him dead that day.

You can tell based on Chris’ handling of the initial situation, that he is a strong, resilient problem solver. The fact that a rescue was not attempted after they heard knocking is quite frankly disgusting, life can be a cruel, and these companies DO NOT care about you.

2024 update: An inquiry into the tragic deaths of four divers sucked into an oil pipeline off the coast of Trinidad, Trinidad and Tobago, has concluded that the pipeline’s owner, the Paria Fuel Trading Company Limited, should be tried for gross negligence and corporate manslaughter.

Whoever didn’t let the rescue happen should be charged with murder

A gut wrenching story told without hyberbole. Thank you for shedding light on this.

I worked for LMCS for 8 years. I was always against using dead legs. The superintendents were hard headed and wouldn't have it any other way. I offered to help rescue but wasn't allowed.

This should've made national news. I can't believe no one tried to rescue them. This is criminal.

What is gut wrenching is knowing that these men who wound up dying may have believed to the end that Chris abandoned them, when all the while, their doom was the result of a pathetic, wealthy piece of trash.

Is nobody else’s chest pounding thinking about being in a tube?

Its horrific how they handled it. No emergency services, no attempts made, nothing. They were even more worried about liability than helping them and wouldnt let the family try help either.

How the hell did a bunch of idiotic billionaires going down in a homemade submarine go so viral over a story like this. Well and truly crazy. Heartbreaking listening to Chris recount the events, I hope he can find some peace in his life.

The worst thing that can happen to a person is to take away their hope. Idk how I stumbled onto this part of youtube but theres so many storied of divers getting trapped or lost in caves. I don't want to imagine what its like at all and I am so sorry these people.

This is what nightmares are made of! The absolute worst place to be trapped and the worst place to die.

This is the scariest thing I can imagine. Chris really showed his character, in that recording. Kept his mind together, thinking first about his crew. Exemplary leadership, in an impossible circumstance. It’s disgusting that Paria left those men down there to die. They deserved better.

The way Chris composed himself and asked how they all were and gave his friends hope of survival was only through pure strength and faith. An absolutely heartbreaking tragedy.

When slowed down you still can’t see what happens, it’s just an instant tornado. One of the most heartbreaking GoPro footages and stories ever. Hard working men left behind 😢

This is one of the most horrific things that I’ve ever heard. I truly cannot even fathom the emotion and mental trauma this event has inflicted on Chris. This disgrace of a company should be legally required to financially support his for the rest of his life, along with providing the best therapy that money can buy. This is sickening.

The last words of Chris saying "I failed them" hit me hard, you can hear the pain in his voice as if he is reliving the situation. You didn't fail them brother, you did everything in your power to save them. You are a hero, that monster of a oil company is the one who failed them. May they rest in peace.

Chris is a hero, forced to break a promise because he couldn't convince evil people to show compassion for human life. Godspeed Chris.

Poor men. This actually made me cry out of frustration. What a sad world we live in 😔

Chris you never failed them, brother! That whole corrupt company failed them!

Calling this a nightmare is an understatement. You can wake up from a nightmare.

Man it’s crazy how calm they sounded in pitch black when they realized they were inside the pipe. RIP to the ones who didn’t make it. My heart goes out to them and their families.

I cant even imagine the horror they endured!

After doing some reading, it's been over a year since since this happened and Chris is struggling severely,mentally and financially and the company has done ZERO to help his family while he hasn't been able to work.Chris didn't do anything wrong but trying to live with the experience he went through is a whole different hell I'm sure.

No one even attempted to send an air hose down the pipe or a camera with a communication device?? This is probably the WORST way anyone could die! This is so haunting and disturbing. Someone should be held accountable and this story REALLY needs to be told on a wider scale.

The clip of them talking with eachother towards the end just sent shiverss down my spine. The fact that they werent helped and rescued breaks my heart.

Absolutely appalling you can hear in their voices how strong they were inside the pipe….and for no rescue to ever come. Insane

Netflix needs to do a documentary on this and the aftermath of failures by Paria. Only way Paria can be held responsible is more public attention. I can't believe there were zero repercussions for them.

With so many drones and camera's and other technology, and a company with endless money, there are ZERO reasons those men should not have been saved. The company saw their lives as a waste of money. Absolutely disgusting.

My heart goes out to this man. I can’t imagine the unimaginable horror of it all and still to this day! I started diving for a living in the 1960’s where life expectancy wasn’t that long on average. My best friend Jerry and I were commercial divers in the North Sea. We had worked together for a couple of years on all kinds of jobs. It was 1974 and we then went our different ways. He had joined Comex and I had joined Oceaneering. I became a Saturation Superintendent and he was still saturation diving. Jerry was investigating why a pipe burial sled had suddenly caught on something. He left the bell and saw that the sled was against some sort of valve on the pipe. He was re-setting the sled when the valve and pipe burst. It was a smaller pipe and sucked his whole arm and part of his body into that empty pipe. Impossible to escape, with the empty pipe exerting tremendous suction and for his bellman to even attempt to get anywhere near him. It took many, many hours to where another diver could extract him. Long dead, it was a tragic accident. I lost my best friend. It was so hard to visit his wife as she explained the accident. In those days there were so many divers dying and thankfully we eventually learned from these accidents. Years later I became a Barge Superintendent with a gold helmet in charge of a pipe laying barge with almost 300 people onboard and a huge crane capable of lifting platforms, with 5 support vessels and crew under my control. Every time I watched the divers, or one of two ROVs’ go in, my mind would think of Jerry. If there had been any accident; I would’ve moved Heaven and Earth to do something! This accident was so unbelievably horrific, where so many good men trapped in an oily pipe, breathing in crude oil, which burns on the surface, never mind under pressure, while in total darkness making decisions to help the majority, by instigating a rescue that was too late in coming. True horror! I’m now 75 and I feel for this brother deeply and sincerely!

these poor men. i cant even imagine. 😟 justice to their families!! none of this is okay. keep your head up Chris. you ARE a HERO. keep telling your truth.

Oil Workers have some of the most dangerous jobs imaginable. Chris demonstrated great leadership qualities taking a blind headcount and injury check while rallying his team to dial it in and work as a team to try to escape. It’s heartbreaking they died I’m glad Chris made it out. Whoever made the call to not rescue the remaining 4 should be charged with negligent homicide x4.

Imagine if Chris didn’t make it? To survive and tell his side of this story? It’s not his fault. The fact that NO RESCUE mission was attempted and the rescue team getting pulled out of the water is disgusting. Those poor men. ❤ 💔

The fact a rescue operation was launched when the titan sub went missing, without knowing whether they were alive or not, but no attempt was made to rescue these poor souls, who could have been saved, and were left to die. This proves people only care about you if you are rich and famous.

I hope this story continues to be told and spreaded around. There has to be justice for the four men that lost their lives due to the negligence of the company. My heart goes out to Chris putting his friends first when the company didn't even make an attempt to save the four men trapped.

Unimaginable, but how they looked out for each other is really something!

The fact this man survived is a miracle. This is so horrifying.

The worst thing is knowing that those men could have been saved. I feel so sorry for Chris. Apparently Chris wanted to go back and save his mates, but was forcibly sedated. Chris is an absolute legend, and the company are more than just villains, they are the absolute definition of evil for letting those men die.

I’m so happy my hobby is chilling at home and watching random videos.

CHRIS. You gave it 1000%. Somone had to make it to the surface for help. You are a hero, not a zero bro!

Chris boy.. that IS NOT your fault that the rescue team was basically told not to bother with the other members. You went up and tried to get help like you promised. It’s not your fault

I feel so bad for Chris, he made a promise to save them and yet nobody helped him keep his promise... and because of those filthy people, he blamed HIMSELF for their deaths. I hope he's okay and knows that it was not his fault.

These men are the heroes of society. Without people like this our lives would come to a grinding halt. They do the most dangerous jobs so we can have a functional society. God bless their souls.

This is so unbelievably terrifying and tragic and so heartbreaking. I can’t believe there has been little to no coverage on this story. Okg I can’t even believe this. I am in tears. Sobbing like a baby. The fact I am in shear panic shaking having anxiety watching this i can’t been begin to believe how terrifying this was to go thru. Man, the one survivor you can hear his pure pain in his voice, u didn’t fail ur brothers, you did everything you could and you faught ur see off to survive. I am so sorry u have to live with this pain. God bless and rest in peace to those who lost their lives.

This made me cry in anger. Those men deserve justice, they were just left to slowly suffer for days dying. That’s inexcusable, indefensible. An absolute outrage.

This is disgusting and just one more reason we need to hold these giant corporations more responsible. no words for this lack of behavior

I've seen another video about this but this one hit me much harder. The video depictions coupled with the heartbreaking testimony and the go pro footage itself made it real. This will stay with me for a while.

The fact that no one was arrested for this is absolutely insane, cant imagine being down there for that long just to die because rescue never came, the worst part is the people responsible probably don't even think about those men at all, R.I.P.

Man the way he says "Everything inside me was hoping a rescue was going on." Killed me. You can really hear the despair in his voice for his fallen friends.

Hearing the sole survivor telling his story is just harrowing. I can’t imagine the pain these poor guys went through. Justice must be served.

I'm a grown man and when I listened to that footage I couldn't help but tear up.... What strong men, to go through that... to be down there... and stay so calm. Think of what it sounds like if the lights simply go out in a building. People will screech in the dark. These guys went from working, to the bottom of the sea in under 1 frame of the camera. UNDER 1 FRAME. My heart goes out to these people and their families. That man thinks he should have done more, when really he operated more like I would expect from a special forces soldier or navy seal. "Yeah boy, me legs broke" like he broke a nail.

Absolutely terrifying.

The survivors guilt Chris must feel has to be completely overwhelming. My heart breaks listening to him describing how it felt after being rescued and hoping for the rescue of his comrades.

He pushed as hard as he could for his boys. He lead when he and everyone else were in fear. He was brave and did everything right but everyone else’s failed them. He Will forever feel like it’s his fault. I hope you find peace brother.

The comms in the pipe were outstanding. Chris is an incredible leader

Suddenly my desk job and problems seem pretty good. It’s crazy how fast you can be put back in your place after hearing a story like this.

Seeing him cry because he feels like he failed them, heartbreaking man. A true nightmare scenario. How do you go on having experienced that? I hope he’s able to cope.

Damn, with every human cell and sense in me I want to hug that unfamiliar brave man and tell him he did everything he could to save his teammates.

Thanks for the well made informative vid! I just learned about this story and its incredibly sad and I feel for all involved. This video gave me a visual I didnt have by reading about it. I hope Chris and others can get some kind of "justice" from this unfortunate event.

I spent two years working offshore in Trinidad, from 2020 to 2022. Absolutely some of the friendliest and most genuine guys I've ever worked with. This breaks my heart to hear of this. The fact that the first thing Chris does is to check on the condition of his crew tells you everything you need to know about him.

Those men died the split second Paria did nothing. How can you pull them out dead but not alive?? That lone survivor is carrying so much undue guilt it’s gut wrenching.

This man is so strong. I hope hes doing ok

After he says “God is good”, he says “we’re gonna get through this”.

This is unbelievable. The Go-pro is what makes this so chilling. Full audio in complete darkness. RIP.

This is far beyond any nightmare I've ever had. Getting stuck in what's essentially industrial machinery, hundreds of feet in, under hundreds of feet of water, injured, in the dark. That triggers every single claustrophobic atom in my body. This brave guy did everything he could to save his team. You couldn't expect anything more from him, and he shouldn't blame himself.

That's the most terrifying thing I've ever heard.

This is so sad... I'm so sorry for you all. It's absolutely disgusting that there was no help. I can't imagine what you all went through I brakes my heart 💔

This is my absolute worst nightmare. Every aspect of it. The claustrophobia, drowning, injuries, volatile liquid that burns, being stuck and not knowing how long I’ll have to suffer terrified and in pain.

I feel so terrible for Chris thinking he failed them. Chris did everything he could, their company murdered them, it wasn't his fault.

The lone survivor took all the blame as the billion dollar company just sat back and hired new employees to replace the dead. SHAMELESS

Chris has to live the rest of his lives with their voices in his head probably thinking he let them down

Whats even worse is immediately after they get sucked into the pipe, all the men (the ones who were still conscious) kept calling/shouting “Chris”, further proof that they all trusted & relied on him in difficult situations I hope Chris doesn’t blame himself for their fate.

Why hasn’t this made national news? This is horrific, it’s evident they could have been saved, if a rescue plan was in place and executed.

That's absolutely terrifying! Can't believe how calm they are, and I can't believe the pipe was not even attempted to be cut open as soon as the noises were heard. Absolutely disgusting decision and murderous.

What a story. Viewing the go pro footage it happened in the blink of an eye. Amazing men.

The fact they were so calm and willing to work together after knowing the situation they were in is crazy

This was the hardest video I’ve ever seen. Those poor workers left to the mercy of that terrible company. My heart goes out to the families and to the survivor who has to relive this every time his mind allows. His bravery must be rewarded by getting those men’s stories out to punish those responsible for leaving those men in there. Such a horrific way to perish.

Dude. In an instant life changes. Thats absolutely terrifying

This story just made me want to live again…….. Thank you Chris for telling your story

The scenario of the possibility of him going through the wrong berth was so heart dropping scary. And he risked it not fully knowing, what an insanely brave man.

The fact that ANYONE got out of that pipe without outsiders coming to help is a miracle.

that has to be so traumatic to endure, that's so sad. I feel so bad for the only person to survive. knowing that those people died and he was with them has to be so unsettling.

You create incredible and well researched content. Please keep up the good work. I can’t wait to see more! ❤

Bro the last conversation is disturbing. Most of them are clearly hurt but they keep believing someone will come to help them but they never do. Imagine what they must be thinking for days inside the pipe, with broken bones and no vision, but just words from their mates. And as the days pass, the voices keep getting lesser and the last man alive can neither see, nor hear anything, just believe that he will be saved till the time he dies. Such a sad story man.

I actually can’t believe how calm they sounded when they were talking to each other making sure everyone was okay if I was in that pipe for even 3 seconds I would freak the hell out.

Those poor, poor men....bless them😥

What an absolutely terrifying tragedy.

The fact that they stood together and help each other out in the pitch darkness prove how strong there bond is. What a brave soul Chris deserves recognition and all the money in the world. I can't bare to watch the last few bits toward the end.

For me, from the moment they sealed the only exit to prevent anyone else getting out, that's basically murder.