34 Year Old Man Dies While Diving at Cayo Sombrero in Venezuela
A 34 year old man has died following a diving incident at Cayo Sombrero in Morrocoy National Park, in Venezuela’s Falcón state.
The victim was identified by local media as Néstor Javier Pineda Méndez, a resident of Tucacas. The incident occurred during the afternoon of Saturday, August 29, while Pineda Méndez was reportedly diving in waters around Cayo Sombrero.
According to information attributed to the Centro de Coordinación Policial No. 8, Pineda Méndez was later transferred to the Hospital Doctor Lino Arévalo in Tucacas. Local reports state that his body arrived at the hospital morgue at approximately 4:40 pm.
Circumstances Remain Under Investigation
Reports differ slightly in their descriptions of the activity Pineda Méndez was undertaking before his death.
Several Venezuelan news outlets describe him simply as diving at Cayo Sombrero. One subsequent local report indicated that he may have been breath hold diving. However, Diventures has found no official statement confirming whether he was scuba diving, freediving, snorkeling, or carrying out another underwater activity.
For this reason, the exact type of diving involved should currently be considered unconfirmed.
The Cuerpo de Investigaciones Científicas, Penales y Criminalísticas, known as CICPC, has taken responsibility for investigating the circumstances surrounding the death.
Local authorities have not publicly confirmed what caused Pineda Méndez to become unresponsive in the water, and no final forensic findings have been released.
Some reports have described the death as being caused by immersion or drowning. However, the final medical cause of death should not be considered established until the relevant forensic examination or an official statement confirms it.
Incident at Morrocoy National Park
Cayo Sombrero is located within Morrocoy National Park on Venezuela’s Caribbean coast and is a popular destination for swimming, snorkeling and other water activities.
At the time of publication, authorities had not released further information concerning the circumstances leading up to the incident or whether any medical, environmental or equipment related factors may have contributed.
Diventures will update this article if Venezuelan authorities release additional verified information about the investigation.
Source: Venezuela Informa Hoy , El Periodiquito
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