22 Aug 2014
https://www.reddit.com/r/scuba/comments/2e9rcl/diver_death_at_komodo/
Sad news today from Wicked diving in Labuan Bajo. A girl died from a suspected double pneumothorax. I was on a LOB trip with Wicked a few months ago and safety was always their top priority and i got the impression that they were one of the better options in the town. Here's what they had to say.
Wicked - It is with grief and agony that I announce the tragic death of one of our guests and fellow adventurers. The incident happened following a Wicked Diving excursion on Tuesday, August 20, 2014 inside Komodo National Park Indonesia.
Conditions above and below the water were very good, the guest was diving with three professional divers (two guests and one staff member), no unusual activities or actions took place during the dives and all equipment was functioning properly. Upon completion of her dive, the guest displayed symptoms of distress. Her guide immediately raced to her aid, implementing emergency procedures and summoning assistance. Emergency communications were initiated and our second boat came to provide support and assistance. In an twist of unbelievable fate, two of her fellow guests were Intensive care doctors and one was a nurse. All rapidly joined in resuscitation efforts and joined the 45-minute evacuation to the clinic. Unfortunately, until an autopsy is completed, exact details cannot be provided. However, a double pneumothorax was a significant factor in her unfortunate passing.
After six hours of grueling and heart-wrenching medical attention, she was pronounced dead at 14:00 local time. Two doctors and countless nurses at the Labuan Bajo clinic worked tirelessly to help this woman. They were assisted by our guests--the ICU doctors and nurse. The knowledge and experience that the medical staff from our local clinic displayed, combined with the extensive ICU experience of her fellow divers was, in the end, not enough to save her life. Wicked Diving is in direct contact with her family and her embassy. Here in Labuan Bajo, transportation has been coordinated, basic facilities have been supplied by the local government and every possible courtesy has been extended by our regional officials. Wicked Diving is working around the clock to facilitate all this through a confusing bureaucratic process few people ever encounter. We are limiting business operations while we put our resources towards resolving this crisis and making sure that our guest, her friends and all involved are accommodated, protected and safe.
We are documenting this process to ensure thorough and immediate assistance and exceptional facilitation are available in the event of any future incidents.
At this time we wish to extend a call for continued respect towards the deceased, her friends and her family. This is a time of great pain for all involved. The privacy and courtesy towards her family is our primary concern at this time.
We do wish to extend our gratitude towards the staff of the local clinic who have been incredibly supportive and efficient in this process. Working directly with the office of the Bupati (governor of our Regency) and police department has solved many problems and created a clear working process. However, we can only attempt to express how truly amazing and heartless the work of the doctors and nurse, simply guests on our diving boat, were in helping throughout - these are true heroes and examples of the best humanity has to offer.
