Pages

Monday, September 12, 2011

British rescue team recovers body of missing cave diver

Six days after Polish cave diver Artur Kozlowski was reported missing in a south Galway cave, a British rescue team brought his body to the surface at the weekend.

The highly risky and challenging operation concluded just before 5pm on Saturday, when the rescue team led by Coventry firefighter Rick Stanton and John Volanthen completed the last of a series of recovery dives at Pollonora in Kiltartan.

Mr Kozlowski’s body was taken for a postmortem yesterday at University Hospital Galway.

The team of three British experts, working with the Irish Cave Rescue Organisation and the Garda, had estimated last Friday that the slow and painstaking recovery could take several more days due to siltation in the cave system.

At that stage, Mr Kozlowski’s body had been taken halfway through the 800m (2,600ft) cavern.

Conditions had improved sufficiently on Saturday for a full recovery through the last 400m, according to Supt Pat Murray of Gort Garda station, who was supervising the effort on behalf of the Garda.“Artur’s life was devoted to cave diving. He died pursuing his dreams, exploring to the limits.”

Source: Irish Times