Pipeline, left to die

Oblivious to the unimaginable horrors set to unfold on February 25, 2022, Christopher Boodram, Fyzal Kurban, Kazim Ali Jnr, Rishi Nagassar and Yusuf Henry woke up, got dressed and headed to work. For the five professional divers, tasked with repairing a leaking section of a 1,200ft oil pipe that snaked along the Caribbean seabed, it was just a typical Friday.

But hours later, within the blink of an eye, the men were violently sucked inside the 30-inch oil pipe they were working on.

Incredibly, despite being dragged 60ft down and hundreds of feet along the metal tube – barely wider than their shoulders – all five survived the initial impact, coming to a sudden halt in an air pocket deep inside. Lying on their backs in the pitch black, injured, disorientated and covered in oil, they strained their necks out of the liquid to breathe.

Over three agonising hours, Boodram managed to claw his way back through the pipe to escape. He was hauled out by divers and told them that the other men, who he had to leave behind in his one-man quest to seek help, were still alive inside. They could still be saved. He implored the oil company to send help but they refused. Days later, the men's dead bodies were flushed out of the pipe.

Here, DEEP DIVE reveals how Boodram’s four friends were trapped beneath the sea in unimaginable conditions and left to die slowly for up to 39 hours.

To hear all of the harrowing details about the Paria pipeline disaster in Boodram’s own words, search for Pipeline – the Daily Mail's bombshell, six-part podcast that has taken America by storm – wherever you get your podcasts. Reporter ISABELLE STANLEY uncovers shocking allegations of criminal negligence, thwarted rescue attempts and secretive political relationships from her gripping investigation into the Caribbean underwater scandal.