Venezuelan Diver Dies During MV Barima Salvage Operation as Questions Mount Over Recovery Efforts

Four days after a Venezuelan diver died during the operation to salvage the sunken MV Barima, the Guyana Police Force has disclosed details of the incident, identifying the deceased as 66-year-old Luis Martinez.

Martinez reportedly died on Wednesday evening, October 28, while conducting underwater operations approximately 10 nautical miles off the coast of Anna Regina, in the Atlantic Ocean. His death comes as the multimillion-dollar effort to recover the MV Barima continues, nearly four months after the vessel sank in one of Guyana’s deadliest maritime disasters.

According to a Police statement issued on Sunday morning, Martinez departed the Kingston Wharf in Georgetown at approximately 5:14 p.m. on Wednesday aboard a vessel with several other crew members to participate in an operation to refloat another vessel in the Essequibo River.