After days of silence, the BK Group says a contracted diver who died during salvage operations apparently had pre-existing medical conditions and suffered a heart attack, according to reports from a doctor aboard the operation.
The account was contained in a press release signed by Brian Tiwarie, Executive Chairman of the BK Group of Companies, following the death of Venezuelan diver Luis Martinez during work at the MV Barima wreck site.
The company said the licensed diver was contracted through Salvamentos del Caribe C.A. and that a resident, full-time doctor was aboard during the operations.
“According to reports from the Resident full-time doctor on board during the operations, the diver apparently had pre-existing medical issues and therefore suffered a heart attack,” the release stated.
The statement did not include a medical report or post-mortem findings supporting that account.
Questions will likely be raised as to what BK is doing with a billion-dollar salvaging contract when an apparently ill 66-year-old Venezuelan was diving in what are likely difficult conditions at sea.
BK said relatives had been notified and assistance would be provided to transport the body to the diver’s home in Venezuela.
The company also maintained that every aspect of the salvage operation was being conducted with strict adherence to the safety and well-being of all personnel involved.
Its release described the death as having occurred “over the weekend”. However, according to the police account previously reported by Kiskadee Watch, Martinez, 66, became unresponsive during diving operations on Wednesday, October 28, approximately 10 nautical miles off Anna Regina. Police publicly disclosed the incident on November 1.
Police said Martinez entered the water but had not resurfaced after approximately 20 minutes. Crew members pulled him up using a rope attached to his body and found him motionless and frothing at the mouth. He was transported to the Transport and Harbours Department wharf at Stabroek, Georgetown, where a doctor pronounced him dead at approximately 2.30 am on October 29. His body was taken to Memorial Gardens Funeral Home pending a post-mortem examination.
The police statement did not identify his employer, detail the emergency assistance available at the diving site or explain what occurred between his retrieval from the water and arrival in Georgetown. BK’s release identifies the contracting company and says a doctor was aboard, but does not describe the treatment administered or the emergency evacuation arrangements.
The PNCR/APNU had called for an independent investigation into Martinez’s death, questioning the emergency arrangements and the decision to transport him to Georgetown rather than seek medical assistance in Region Two. The party also sought disclosure of the contractors involved, safety requirements, operational plan and monitoring arrangements.
This will be classed as another worksite death that the Ministry of Labour will have to investigate. The Labour Ministry has been largely silent on these cases and the Ministry has said nothing on this one.
BK International was awarded a $1.034 billion contract on October 6 to salvage the MV Barima off Devonshire Castle Flats, Essequibo Coast, on a “no cure, no pay” basis. The published award record did not specify a mobilisation or recovery deadline, the approved salvage method or detailed conditions for determining successful completion.
The families of the victims of the MV Barima disaster have expressed outrage over the failure to refloat the vessel up to now and have expressed a lack of confidence in BK’s ability to do the job.
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