A diver who died while participating in efforts to salvage the sunken MV Barima suffered a heart attack, according to BK International, the company contracted by the Guyana Government to carry out the operation.

A 66-year-old Venezuelan national died after failing to resurface during a diving operation, as part of efforts to salvage the MV Barima – which had capsized on July 18, resulting in the deaths of approximately 100 people.

The vessel is now resting on the seabed approximately 10 nautical miles off the Essequibo Coast and BK International was awarded the $1.3 billion contract to salvage it.

In a statement on Monday, BK International said the diver who died, Luis Martinez, was an employee of a subcontractor, Salvamentos del Caribe.

BK International said a resident full-time doctor onboard during the salvage operations confirmed that the diver had a pre-existing medical condition and had suffered a heart attack.

BK International said it has already notified the diver’s relatives and that it would provide assistance in getting the body back home to Venezuela.

Moreover, BK International emphasised that every aspect of the salvage operations is being conducted with the strictest adherence to safety and wellbeing of personnel involved.

In an earlier statement, police said Martinez had entered the water on October 28 during an operation to refloat a vessel. He reportedly failed to resurface after about 20 minutes.

Crew members subsequently retrieved him using a rope attached to his body. Police said he was motionless and frothing at the mouth.

Martinez was transported to Georgetown, where he was pronounced dead at 02:30h on October 29. Investigators reported no visible marks of violence on exposed parts of his body.

The police statement did not identify BK International or the MV Barima as being connected to the operation. In fact, the police statement was issued on Sunday, November 1, days after the incident had occurred.

Meanwhile, BK International was awarded the contract to salvage the MV Barima. The $1.034 billion contract was awarded on a no-cure, no-pay basis, meaning payment depends on the successful recovery of the vessel.

The wreck is submerged in the Atlantic Ocean, off Devonshire Castle Flats on the Essequibo Coast, in waters estimated to be between 13 and 15 metres deep. But the assignment involves more than raising the vessel from the seabed.

The government has stipulated that the contractor must demonstrate the technical capability to undertake the recovery while observing appropriate safety and environmental safeguards.

The operation must also involve suitably qualified personnel and procedures designed to protect evidence relevant to the Commission of Inquiry investigating the sinking.

Once recovered, the vessel is expected to be secured upright on a barge, allowing investigators to examine its structure and other physical evidence.

It remains unclear whether the diver’s death has interrupted the salvage operation or affected the timetable for recovering the MV Barima.