Tehran: An Iranian official says a rescue team hopes to soon reach 13 divers trapped underwater after their support ship sank two days ago in the Persian Gulf.
Pirouz Mousavi, head of the Pars Energy Zone in southern Iran, told the official IRNA news agency on Friday that the divers are believed to still be alive despite a dwindling oxygen supply.
The divers — seven Indians, five Iranians and one Ukrainian — were part of a team installing an underwater oil pipeline and were inside a pressurised diving chamber when their Koosha-1 ship sank in the Persian Gulf on Thursday afternoon in stormy seas.
Out of 73 people on board, 60 had been rescued earlier. The pressurised chamber is about 180 feet (60 meters) underwater and can hold 72-hours worth of oxygen.
Bureau Report
First Published: Saturday, October 22, 2011, 15:40