Three divers pass out at once; Coast Guard investigating 'issue with oxygen'
Published: 20 Jul. 2025, 14:38
![The Namhae Coast Guard on July 9 [SONG BONG-GEUN]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2025/07/20/6022b5bf-0b28-47cc-a7b4-07eb44c067f9.jpg)
The Namhae Coast Guard on July 9 [SONG BONG-GEUN]
Three divers were found unresponsive and hospitalized after losing consciousness while cleaning a ship near Busan New Port in Changwon, South Gyeongsang.
According to the Coast Guard, the accident occurred at around 11:31 a.m. on Sunday near Busan New Port in Jinhae District, Changwon, South Gyeongsang. The three divers lost consciousness simultaneously while cleaning a 50,000-ton container vessel. All three divers are men in their 30s. The vessel is registered in the Marshall Islands.
The divers were reportedly wearing wetsuits and performing underwater cleaning on the bottom of the vessel. Oxygen was supplied through hoses connected to a large oxygen supply unit located on the ship.
“Because the work takes a long time, divers do not carry individual oxygen tanks but instead breathe through hoses connected to an oxygen supply unit on the ship,” said a Coast Guard spokesperson.
Authorities suspect a problem with the hose connected to the oxygen supply unit may have caused the accident.
“Given witness statements that all three lost consciousness at the same time, it is highly likely there was an issue with the oxygen supply,” the Coast Guard spokesperson said. “We are investigating various possibilities, including whether the problem stemmed from the hose connection or from the oxygen supply unit itself.”
Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY LEE EUN-JI [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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