Diver dies in possible underwater explosion while working on Gulf rig, unrelated to oil spill

Diver dies while working on rig unrelated to spill

CHICAGO — A waste services company says a diver performing maintenance on a client’s rig in the Gulf of Mexico, unrelated to the massive oil spill, has died after an underwater accident.

A statement from Chicago-based Veolia Environmental Services North America says the diver was working at a depth of about 250 feet from the company’s Normand Clipper vessel when “what might have been an underwater explosion” happened about 11:30 a.m. CDT Friday.

Veolia says rescue teams retrieved the diver but paramedics weren’t able to resuscitate him.

The company didn’t specify the client. But Margaret Cooper with Houston-based Chevron U.S.A. confirms a Veolia contractor died while performing maintenance on a Chevron rig that had been damaged by a hurricane in recent years.