A 44-year-old diver monitoring pollution from a sunken cruise ship off the island of Santorini died on Saturday after surfacing too quickly.

Authorities said the experienced diver suffered from decompression sickness, the name given to a variety of symptoms suffered by a person exposed to a reduction in the pressure surrounding their body.

No further details were given.

The diver was pronounced dead on arrival at the Santorini health clinic.

Clean-up crews have been operating around the cruise ship since it hit a charted reef and sank to a depth of 140 metres in April.

Some 1,600 passengers and crew were safely evacuated but two French tourists – a 45-year-old man and his 16-year-old daughter – disappeared and are presumed dead.

The Sea Diamond’s captain and five officers have been charged with negligence, breaching international shipping safety regulations and marine pollution.