Two Italian divers, 57-year old Carlos Barbieri and 44-year old Carlos Basso, are missing after going for a cave dive on Saturday, 9 February 2019 in El Dudú in Cabrera, in northeastern María Trinidad Sánchez province. The Dominican Republic Speleological Society (DRSS) said that two of their experts, Phillip Lehman and Ángel Compres have joined the rescue team and are working in collaboration with Cabrera authorities and the owners of the Laguna El Dudú recreational area. The search, nevertheless, was suspended on Monday, 11 February 2019 due to reduced visibility in the lagoon waters.
Gerge Martínez, manager of El Dudú, explained that it appears that the Italians ignored the sign posted at the entrance to the cave that warns about the hazards of diving in the cave without adequate international cave diving certification. The society says that diving in a cave requires different training than what is needed to dive in the sea or open water. Likewise, different equipment is required for cave diving. Martínez said that the wife of one of the missing divers said they have dived at the site on many occasions in the past.
El Dudú has a maximum depth of 25 meters and has 800 meters extension.
Read more in Spanish:
Listin Diario
El Dia
12 February 2019
