MV Barima salvage operation: Venezuelan diver died of heart attack – contractor

A 66-year-old Venezuelan diver who died during operations to recover the sunken MV Barima suffered a heart attack, with a doctor attached to the salvage operation also confirming that he had a pre-existing medical condition.
BK International, the company contracted to salvage the vessel, disclosed the findings on Monday, identifying the deceased as Luis Martinez, an employee of Venezuelan subcontractor Salvamentos del Caribe C.A.
In a statement issued by BK Group Executive Chairman Brian Tiwarie, the company said a resident full-time doctor onboard the salvage operation confirmed that Martinez had suffered a heart attack. The doctor also reported that the diver had a pre-existing medical condition, although the specific condition was not disclosed.
BK International said the diver’s relatives had been notified and that the company would assist with arrangements to have his body returned to Venezuela.
The company also stated that all aspects of the salvage operation were being conducted with attention to the safety and wellbeing of personnel involved.
Martinez’s death was previously confirmed by the Guyana Police Force (GPF), which reported that he entered the water on October 28 during an operation to refloat a vessel approximately 10 nautical miles off Anna Regina, Essequibo Coast.
According to the police, he failed to resurface after about 20 minutes. Crew members subsequently retrieved him using a rope attached to his body. He was reportedly motionless and frothing at the mouth.
He was transported to Georgetown, where he was pronounced dead at 02:30h on October 29. Police investigators reported that there were no visible marks of violence on the exposed parts of his body.
The police statement, issued on Sunday, November 1, did not identify BK International or the MV Barima as being connected to the operation.
BK International was awarded a $1.034 billion contract to recover the MV Barima, which sank on July 18, 2026, while travelling from Georgetown to Port Kaituma. The disaster claimed 73 lives, while others remained unaccounted for.
The vessel is lying on the seabed in the Atlantic Ocean, approximately 10 nautical miles off the Essequibo Coast, near Devonshire Castle Flats, in waters estimated to be between 13 and 15 metres deep.
MV Barima was en route to Port Kaituma, Region One (Barima-Waini), with 179 persons onboard when it capsized and sank off the Essequibo Coast on the night of Saturday, July 18.
While at least 76 persons survived the horrific boat accident, 73 have been confirmed dead, and another 30 are still missing.

Source: Guyana Times