Diver dies in wreck operation
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.
