Colombia Recovers Body of Drowned French Tourist

The body of a French tourist who had disappeared last weekend while he was diving in Colombia’s Caribbean waters was recovered by naval personnel, the military said Thursday.

The body was found Wednesday afternoon approximately one nautical mile (1.8 kilometers) from the place where he disappeared near Tintipan island, which is part of the San Bernardo archipelago in the Gulf of Morrosquillo.

The body was taken to the Coveñas coast guard station and the investigation of the case will be undertaken by prosecutors from the nearby city of Tolu, the acting commander of Colombia’s Caribbean coast guard, Lt. Cmdr. Adelmo Dam, told Efe.

“The information we have is that this French citizen was experiencing apnea … and apparently became separated from his companions in the deepest area,” Dam said.

The victim, the officer said, may have become tangled in the coral or suffered some other health problem that prevented him from getting back to the surface and, since he was alone, he had nobody to help him.

The Frenchman, who was a U.S. resident, had arrived in Colombia as a tourist on Dec. 15 along with his girlfriend and several friends.

Published in Latino Daily News