Diver Dies in Sewol Ferry Search Operation (South Korea)

A civilian diver has died during the search for missing people in the sunken Sewol ferry offshore South Korea.

The 53-year-old diver lost communication with his fellow divers 5 minutes after diving into waters 25 meters deep, CNN reports.

The diver, known by his surname Lee, was on his first search attempt in the Sewol ferry rescue operations.

He was a veteran crew member of Undine Marine Industries.

The fellow divers pulled Lee to the surface soon after the loss of communication. He was transferred to the nearest hospital where he was pronounced dead.

As CNN reports 264 people have died in the ferry accident, not including the diver, and 174 survived.

The divers are still searching for the missing 38 people.

The Sewol ferry en route from Incheon to the island of Jeju sank on April 16 with over 400 people onboard.

Related:

260 People Dead, 42 Still Missing in South Korean Ferry Accident

Subsea World News Staff, May 06, 2014;  Image: VideoRay