A 61-year-old German tourist died on Thursday during a commercial diving excursion off the coast of Tropea in Calabria, southern Italy. The man suffered a medical emergency and lost consciousness underwater at approximately 16:30 local time.
Fellow participants onboard the diving vessel, including doctors among the group, began resuscitation efforts immediately as an emergency helicopter and ambulance were called to the scene. The man, who was staying at a resort in Simeri Mare on the Ionian coast and had joined the organised dive trip departing from Tropea, was brought back to the port where resuscitation attempts continued for approximately 50 minutes before emergency responders pronounced him dead.
The Tropea port authority has opened an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death.