Plura, Norway: Body recovery operation started

[TONY CHANEY]

I can see that it went a little sideways. Thanks John.

 

[Jan Kruger]

So that's it ...the bodies will stay where they are ? Will further diving there be stopped completely ?

 

[Storker]

So that's it ...the bodies will stay where they are ?

For the time being, yes. Right now, no-one knows if there'll be another recovery operation later.

Will further diving there be stopped completely ?

No-one knows. It's a possibility, and AFAIK the temporary ban on diving there is still valid. OTOH, the cave diving association will probably fight a permanent ban on diving in the Plura system, and there'll have to be some legislative work before they can impose a permanent ban. See this thread.

 

[Imla]

Latest news:

A finnish team of divers have broken the general restriction of access to the Plura cave system and have brought the bodies from the restriction and up to the chamber.

De finske dykkerne hentet opp - Nordland

 

[vplehto]

There is an news in Finland that group of finnish divers have recovered the bodies

Sukeltajaryhmä haki suomalaissukeltajien ruumiit luolasta | Ulkomaan uutiset | Iltalehti.fi


The article is changing at the moment, will do some translation of that in short time.

 

[Storker]

Same story in Norwegian media.

nrk.no: Original article and Google translate
vg.no:Original article and Google translate

EDIT: I have to admit I'm pretty curious about who it was that did the body recovery.

 

[vplehto]

Translated from this finnish text (sorry for the english mistakes that there is):
--
Sukeltajaryhmä haki suomalaissukeltajien ruumiit luolasta

Torstai 27.3.2014 klo 13.16 (päivitetty klo 13.28)

Suomalainen sukeltajaryhmä on noutanut Norjassa luolaan kuolleiden kahden suomalaisen sukeltajan ruumiit, kertoo Norjan poliisi.

Poliisin mukaan suomalaisryhmä oli ilmoittanut viranomaisille nostaneensa ruumiit vedenpinnan tasolle.

Luolaan meneminen on ollut onnettomuuden jälkeen kiellettyä. Poliisi aikoo kuulustella kieltoa rikkoneita suomalaisia.

Norjan viranomaiset ilmoittivat viime kuussa, ettei vainajia nosteta. Operaatiosta luovuttiin liian vaarallisena.
STT
--


--
Divingroup fetched bodies of finnish divers from the cave

Thursday 27:th March 2014 1:16pm (updated 1:28pm)

Group of finnish divers have fetched bodies of two finnish divers that died in a cave at norway, tells Norway police.

Acording to police, finnish group had informed officials that they have recovered the bodies to water level.

Going to cave have been forbidden after the accident. Police will interogate
the finns that breaked the ban to dive.

Norway officials informed last month, that they don't recover the bodies. It was considered to be too dangerous.
STT

 

[Redshift]

Apparently the police are not happy...

 

[Storker]

Apparently the police are not happy...

That's not too surprising.

Imagine the hubbub if those private divers had failed and there'd been another fatality. In an area where the police have imposed a ban on traffic and diving, but naturally have limited resources to enforce that ban physically. After all, we're talking about a small community with moderate police resources, and the cave is located in the middle of effing nowhere. You just can't have police patrolling the area 24/7.

That said, I'd hazard a guess that the divers at most will get a moderate fine for breaking the ban.


ETA: OTOH, what would have happened if there'd been another fatality? My guess is that the cave diving community would have been a lot closer to seeing the Plura system permanently closed for all diving...

ETA2: The Norwegian Cave Diving Association say in a press release that they didn't know about the operation.

 

[trimixdive]

Yes, thats very true in Norway. But finnish leisure divers have been searched and recovered some dead divers from cove a few times more in the past. And in Finland, these operations are managed by local police. And with close co-operation with all authorities was very good.

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