A diver died on the afternoon of June 5 while conducting underwater work at a salmon farming site in Melinka, in the Guaitecas municipality of Chile’s Aysén region.
The victim, identified as Víctor Mauricio Guerrero Barría, was from Puerto Montt. His support team activated emergency protocols after he failed to return to the surface. Rescue personnel recovered him and attempted resuscitation, but he was pronounced dead while being transferred to the Melinka health post.
The Chilean Navy and the Public Prosecutor’s Office are conducting separate investigations to establish the cause and circumstances of the death. The Melinka Port Authority registered all witnesses present and gathered preliminary evidence as part of a Maritime Administrative Summary Investigation.
The prosecutor’s office told Radio Revelación that the diver’s body would be transferred from Melinka to Cisnes for autopsy. Carabineros’ SIP unit will also carry out initial procedures to rule out third-party involvement.
Prosecutor Yéssica Vidal said the diver “appeared to have experienced a medical episode while at the farming site,” according to the Prosecutor’s Office communications team.