Diver in his 40s dies after suspected decompression sickness off Sinan
In short
A man in his 40s died after being found in cardiac arrest while working on a submarine cable burial job in the sea off Sinan County on Oct. 5. He had been diving in rotation with two colleagues and collapsed about 10 minutes after surfacing, with decompression sickness suspected. The coast guard is questioning fellow workers to establish the exact circumstances.
Why it matters
The death points to the hazards of commercial diving work on seabed cable projects, a risk the documents describe only through the symptoms reported at the scene. The coast guard investigation, as reported by Yonhap, will determine how the accident happened and whether the rotating dive schedule was a factor. Because the reports come from a single detailed account plus one headline, broader implications are not yet established.
Key facts
- A man in his 40s was working on a submarine cable burial project in the sea off Sinan County, diving in rotation with two colleagues. [ 2 ]
- At about 11:05 a.m. on Oct. 5, a report was received that he was showing symptoms of decompression sickness. [ 2 ]
- He lost consciousness and collapsed about 10 minutes after coming back up to the barge on schedule. [ 2 ]
- He was found in cardiac arrest on the barge work vessel and taken to a nearby hospital. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Yonhap reported that he died at the hospital. [ 2 ]
- The coast guard is questioning fellow workers to establish the exact circumstances of the accident. [ 2 ]
Confirmed by several sources
Still unclear
- Whether decompression sickness was the confirmed cause of death. Both documents describe the symptoms as suspected (Yonhap says 잠수병(감압병) 의심), and Yonhap says the exact circumstances are still under investigation.
- What happened during the dive rotation before he surfaced. Yonhap reports only that he came up on schedule and collapsed about 10 minutes later; the coast guard investigation has not produced findings in the documents.
- The identity of the worker. He is identified only as A, a man in his 40s, in the documents.
- The outcome as first reported versus later. Newsis reported at 2:30 p.m. that he was taken to hospital, while Yonhap reported at 2:44 p.m. that he had died; the documents do not state when he died.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- A report is received that a man in his 40s is showing symptoms of decompression sickness in the sea near the barge dock at Daecho-ri, Jeungdo-myeon, Sinan County. [ 2 ]
- Newsis reports that the diver showed decompression sickness symptoms and went into cardiac arrest before being taken to hospital. [ 1 ]
- Yonhap reports that the worker died after being found in cardiac arrest on the barge work vessel. [ 2 ]