Police are investigating the death of a Venezuelan diver who was taking part in the operation to refloat the MV Barima in the Essequibo River. He is sixty-six-year-old Luis Martinez.
Police say that last Wednesday, October 28th, Martinez left the Kingston Wharf in Georgetown with other crew members, heading for the salvage site about ten nautical miles off Anna Regina.
At about six-thirty that evening, he went into the water to dive. Police say he did not resurface after about twenty minutes. Crew members pulled him up using a rope tied to his body. They found him motionless and frothing at the mouth.
Martinez was taken to the Transport and Harbours Department Wharf at Stabroek. He was pronounced dead there at about two-thirty on Thursday morning.
Police say they saw no marks of violence on the body. A post-mortem examination is pending.
BK International, which was awarded the contract to salvage the Barima, says Martinez was a licensed diver contracted from the company Salvamentos del Caribe. BK says the resident doctor on board reported that the diver apparently had pre-existing medical issues and suffered a heart attack.
The company says it has notified his relatives and will help to send the body home to Venezuela. It says the salvage operation is following the strictest safety standards.
Investigations are ongoing.