When Sofia Devries failed to resurface, alarms were triggered and emergency protocol began
Credit: Sofia Devries/Facebook
NEED TO KNOW
- A 23-year-old scuba diver was found dead two days after she vanished during a dive off the coast of Argentina on Feb. 16
- Officials later determined she died of drowning, but an investigation into the incident is ongoing
- Three others were hospitalized following the tragic incident
A 23-year-old woman was found dead two days after she vanished while receiving scuba diving lessons in Argentina.
On Monday, Feb. 16, Sofia Devries went on a dive to advance her scuba certification with her partner and other divers near the Punta Cuevas Historical Park in the province of Chubut, Argentinian station Radio Rafaela reported.
The group was diving in the Golfo Nuevo around the Hu Shun Yu 809 artificial reef. According to Dive Magazine, the site was created when the fishing vessel was purposefully sunk in 2017 to create a habitat for marine life. It has since become a popular place for divers.
The dive turned tragic when Devries failed to surface, Radio Rafaela and Argentinian outlets Diario De Cuyo and Madryn Ahora reported.
Alarms were triggered and an emergency protocol was immediately launched to save her, according to Diario De Cuyo. Three divers were later taken to a hospital for treatment, two of whom had to be placed in a hyperbaric chamber.
Following the incident, a multi-agency search for the missing woman was launched. The young woman’s body was found two days later, on Feb. 23, about 65 feet below the water’s surface near where she first disappeared, according to the outlet and Radio Rafaela.
Her boyfriend later took to social media to describe his version of events. “Sofia is my girlfriend. We came to Puerto Madryn to get certified for a diving course,” he said, according to Diario De Cuyo. “Unfortunately, we had an underwater accident.”
Credit: Argentine Naval Prefecture
He was also critical of the responding agencies, telling the outlet, “They didn’t act quickly and focused on bureaucratic procedures instead of searching for her immediately and accepting help from other divers.”
On the day her body was found, Prosecutor Alex Williams told reporters that Devries experienced a medical emergency during the ascent, and witnesses told officials that her partner tried to help her, but was unable to save her, the outlet and Radio Rafaela reported.
Officials performed an autopsy and determined she died by drowning and that a third party wasn't involved, according to the outlets.
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Credit: Argentine Naval Prefecture
While the involvement of a third party and signs of a criminal act have been ruled out, officials will continue to investigate Devries' death to determine if anyone who was supposed to keep her safe will be held partly responsible, the paper reported.
The Prefectura Naval Argentina and the Ministerio Público Fiscal de la Provincia del Chubut did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s requests for comment.
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