A dip in a frozen alpine lake to admire the play of light
it was fatal in Switzerland to
a 48-year-old Italian diver residing in the canton of Geneva.
After the dive he passed out and hasn't recovered since.
The day after, it was the doctors of the University Hospital of Lausanne who declared his death.
The diver was participating in
an outing organized by a club of enthusiasts.
The accident occurred on Saturday afternoon in Lake Taney.
"Alone he no longer came out of the entrance hole. He was quickly extracted by the other participants, who were about fifteen in all, but he was already unconscious", a spokesman for the Valais canton police explained to ANSA.
His condition immediately appeared critical.
After first aid was carried out on the spot, he was transferred aboard an Air-Glaciers helicopter to the hospital where he died on Sunday evening.
The Swiss
judiciary
is investigating the incident.
The frozen lake of Taney is located at an altitude of 1,400 metres, in the canton of Valais, on the border with Haute-Savoie.
Nestled in the mountains, it boasts an area of 17 hectares and in winter it becomes a paradise for
'subzero' diving enthusiasts.
"My group has been there several times, there are no specific risks if you follow the rules," Pascal Christin, president of Club Subaquatique D'Onex, told ANSA.
"What is interesting - explains the expert - is to remain just below the level of the ice. There is no interest in going down deep, instead it is exciting to watch the play of light on the surface".
In fact "that lake will be 10-12 meters deep and usually you go down to 5-6 meters when you do ice diving".
The lake "is not very popular due to the difficult access: it cannot be reached by car, but only on foot, and it is necessary to get organized with the permits".
Normally
the diver "dives with the
The water is freezing, "around 1 or 2 degrees" and, in those conditions, the body is put to the test, explains to ANSA Nicola Brischigiaro, creator and forerunner of extreme apneas under ice at high altitudes.
"The temperature of the water - underlines the expert - induces the organism to a physiological vasoconstriction and other
important modifications on the cardiac and respiratory
system . The heart in particular is subjected to extreme stress and must be in perfect working order because, in extreme conditions such as those found under the ice, atrial flutter (irregular beats) and other aspects that could give important problems are not uncommon".