A scuba diver identified as Víctor Guerrero died recently in an accident while working at the Serrano farming center in the Aysén region of Southern Chile, which belongs to salmon-farming firm AquaChile.
After the incident, Chile’s Public Prosecutor's Office instructed the national police force, Carabineros, to perform preliminary investigative proceedings. At the same time, the nation’s maritime authority requisitioned the diving equipment and logs of the work Guerrero performed, in addition to registering witnesses to establish the causes, circumstances, and possible responsibilities involved.
Guerrero’s body was transferred to Puerto Cisnes for a mandatory autopsy.
AquaChile expressed regret over the death of Guerrero, who was an employee of contractor company El Tridente, which provides services to AquaChile. The firm stressed that people’s safety and security are a permanent priority and that it is collaborating with competent authorities investigating the incident.
Guerrero’s death is not an isolated incident.
According to the Association of Professional Divers of Chile, 245 diving accidents took place at Chilean salmon farms between 2004 and 2022, of which 44 ended in death. The association has been outspoken about the need to improve working conditions, reinforce safety, and implement good labor practices.
“Each loss should be a call to improve working conditions, reinforce safety, implement good labor practices, and demand that the noble, essential work of diving be respected with dignity and responsibility,” the association said in a statement last year.
Divers are not the only workers on Chilean salmon farms who have suffered from accidents. Early this year, a vessel providing services to salmon-farming firm Salmones Austral sank, killing six of the eight crew members on board.
Work has begun on bringing the vessel, Koñimo I, to the surface, which will allow investigators to directly examine structural elements, safety systems, and other areas that remained inaccessible underwater.
The operation of refloating the vessel has been a longstanding request from the victims’ families, who have questioned the delay in the investigation to determine if there are possible criminal or administrative consequences for the accident.
The case currently has two lines of investigation open. The Public Prosecutor's Office is carrying out a criminal investigation to establish the circumstances of the accident and possible responsibilities. Meanwhile, the Navy is carrying out a maritime administrative summary investigation instructed by the Maritime Government of Puerto Montt.
Prior to the start of the refloating process, specialized maritime firm Compas Marine performed underwater inspections using remotely operated vehicles and commercial divers, in order to evaluate the current state of the structure and decrease risk during the hoisting of the vessel.
