WELLINGTON, New Zealand (28 Aug 2005) -- A diver is missing and another seriously ill with the bends after they were dragged deep under the waters of Cook Strait about 2.30pm today. The divers had been caught in severe underwater turbulence and dragged down to 64m (209 feet) below the surface near The Brothers Islands, just north of Tory Channel, Life Flight Trust Wellington operations manager Dave Greenberg said. One had returned to the surface and been taken aboard the dive boat, a 16.5m launch, suffering from the bends. The vessel's skipper had put out a mayday call, and the Wellington-based Westpac Rescue Helicopter had been on the way to the scene within four minutes of being alerted, Mr Greenberg said. After a Wellington Free Ambulance paramedic had been winched on to the launch in 40kmh winds and 2m seas the diver had been put into a harness and winched, with the paramedic, up to the helicopter. At 7.45pm police said the second diver had not been found. Inspector Michael Coulter of police central communications said the search would continue tomorrow. Mr Greenberg told National Radio tonight the two divers had been fighting the whole way as they were sucked down. "Unfortunately they just kept on going down then managed to get free of the turbulence and on the way back up the diver that we did rescue lost sight of his buddy, his friend." | | Wellington Free Ambulance paramedic Tor Riley attends to the diver who was recovered after being dragged over 200 feet below the surface. "It is not known if he ever reached the surface," Mr Greenberg said. The rescued diver had been taken straight to Wellington Hospital in a serious condition. Later, escorted by a specialist medical flight team from the hospital, he was taken by the Life Flight fixed wing air ambulance to the recompression chamber at Christchurch Hospital. The helicopter, after dropping the diver off, had picked up two members of the police dive squad and returned to the search area to help look for the second diver, Mr Greenberg said. It had joined several boats in the area but had been stood down after about an hour of searching. "We had good search conditions but unfortunately we were unable to locate the second diver," Mr Greenberg said. SOURCE - NZPA |
