A cave diver died in an accident at the weekend in the Blenio Valley in Ticino. As the Ticino cantonal police announced on Monday, the man had an accident in the cave at the source of the Brenno river. The recovery of the body will take several days.
According to an initial reconstruction by the Ticino cantonal police, the man dived into the cave late Saturday morning and never returned. An alarm was raised shortly before 2.30 pm.
Specialists from the Swiss Speleological Society from German-speaking Switzerland were flown in by Rega helicopter to assist the police, the press release continues. At around 7.30 p.m., the man's lifeless body was found at a depth of over 40 meters and around 200 meters from the entrance.
The search was made difficult by the small diameter of the passages, the nature of the cave and the poor visibility in the water, according to the Ticino cantonal police.
The recovery of the body began on Sunday, but will take several days according to police estimates. Numerous dives by experienced divers will be required. It has not yet been possible to identify the victim, according to the police.