ST. THOMAS — A 16-year-old boy participating in a beginner's scuba diving class at Buck Island in St. Thomas was reported unresponsive following a distressing incident underwater, according to the Virgin Islands Police Department. The tragic event took place on Saturday at 10:20 a.m.
Emergency services, including St. Thomas Rescue and the Virgin Islands Fire Emergency Medical Service (FEMS), were dispatched to the scene after a 911 call alerted them to a possible drowning at Buck Island. The call indicated that the minor diver was unresponsive and that on-site CPR was in progress.
Upon arrival, Rescue officers met with a dive boat at Yacht Haven Grande, where they were informed that an individual involved in a diving class had encountered difficulty while underwater and subsequently became unresponsive.
Despite the immediate administration of CPR on the dive boat and the concerted life-saving efforts of the Rescue Officers and FEMS ambulance crews upon their arrival, the boy was transported to the Schneider Regional Medical Center in a critical condition.
The incident was first reported at 10:08 a.m. by the 911 Emergency Call Center and the boy was pronounced unresponsive at 10:57 a.m. Investigations are underway to understand the sequence of events leading up to this tragic incident.
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