Survivor of the Paria diving tragedy Christopher Boodram and the families of Rishi Nagessar and Fyzal Kurban received an ex-gratia payment of $1 million from Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar on January 22 at the Diplomatic Centre, St Ann’s.

In a release on the same day, the Office of the Prime Minister said the Prime Minister said that for far too long, the suffering and struggles of the survivor and bereaved families were ignored by the previous administration, which chose instead to expend public funds on legal fees rather than providing direct assistance and compassion to those left behind.

“She made it clear that what these men endured should never have occurred, and reaffirmed her government’s commitment to accountability, humanity, and the principle that no citizen will ever be left behind.”