A diver nearly drowned while working on a project to raise a vessel known as the ‘Titanic of the Alps’ after it was sunk on Lake Constance in 1933 when its owners decided it would cost too much to scrap it.
The project to raise the Saentis steamboat on the German side in the middle of the lake between Romanshorn (Switzerland) and Langenargen hit another snag on Saturday, 11th May after a diver nearly drowned.
The operation had already suffered setbacks in April due to technical problems, but now those in charge are said to be looking for new, more experienced divers.
The incident on Saturday took place just 1.5 metres below the surface when the diver tried to untangle a not on a diving robot cable but became tangled in it himself instead.
He was unable to free himself, according to the President of the Swiss Ship Salvage Association, Silvan Paganini, who said that the ropes had to be cut to save him from drowning.
The Saentis steamship, measuring 48 metres (157 feet) long and able to carry 400 passengers in its heyday, has been at the bottom of Lake Constance at a depth of 210 metres (690 feet) for 91 years after it was scuppered in May 1933 because it was too expensive to remove from the lake and scrap.
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Story By: Joseph Golder, Sub-Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Newsflash
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