Tourist drowns after trying to retrieve GoPro she dropped while scuba diving
A Chinese tourist died after attempting to retrieve her GoPro camera during her scuba diving session in Indonesia.
According to a report by News.com.au, Zhang Xiaohan went on a scuba diving trip on May 2 in remote Kakaban Island in East Kalimantan, Indonesia.
Despite being nearly eight meters from the surface during her ascent, Zhang went against her tour guide's warning and descended after her GoPro fell.
The 30-year-old tourist struggled to drag herself up while trying to retrieve the camera and eventually got swept away by a strong current. Her final moments were reportedly recorded by her GoPro.
According to an Asia Pacific Press report, the Indonesian tour guide said the group waited for Zhang to resurface before reporting her missing at 9 a.m., local time.
A rescue mission was launched by soldiers and local marine search agency Basarnas. After several search and rescue operations, Zhang’s body was found the next day, 88 meters below the surface, far from where she had gone missing.
“A team of divers from the joint SAR unit was deployed and managed to locate the victim at a depth of 87 meters, but initial attempts to retrieve her were unsuccessful due to the extreme depth,” said Endrow Sasmita, operations chief of the local Basarnas.
“The search location was challenging. Fortunately, unified support from all parties helped us find her,” he added.
Her remains were taken to the Abdul Rivai General Hospital in Berau for a post-mortem examination.
