– The rescue operation has ended and unfortunately the diver’s life could not be saved. The person was pronounced dead at the scene due to health issues. The diver is a man with US citizenship. The next of kin have been notified, the police said shortly before 6 p.m.
The accident happened inside Pluragrotten, which is popular with cave divers. The man was 20–30 meters into the cave when the accident happened. Exactly what happened is not yet known.
He was brought out of the cave by the diving team he was traveling with and they began CPR. This continued when the air ambulance and health services arrived at the scene. The man was unconscious when he was taken out of the cave, and it is currently unclear whether he was on a diving trip in connection with work or leisure.
– Something happened in the water, but we still need to get clarity on what, operations manager Kai Eriksen told NTB at 5pm.
The police were notified of the accident at 15:59 on Wednesday afternoon.
The Plura cave is a cave system formed by the 3.8 kilometer underground course of the river Plura. There have been several fatal diving accidents in the cave in the past. At the latest in 2014, two divers died, while a further three were sent to hospital, after an accident in the water-filled cave.
