Indian diver pulled unconscious from sea near Phi Phi

PHUKET: An Indian woman diving on a day trip near Koh Phi Phi was pulled from the water unconscious on Wednesday and rushed to hospital, where she remains.

Deetti Tirumalaraju, 28, encountered difficulties at about six meters, Phuket Marine Police Inspector Chatchai Sakdee was told.

She was brought to the surface and given first aid on her dive boat, the Mermaid, operated by the All 4 Diving company, said Lt Col Chatchai.

Seeking to get Ms Tirumalaraju to Phuket as fast as possible, the company’s dive staff arranged for a speedboat to pick her up at Koh Kai and rush her to Rassada Pier, where an ambulance from Bangkok Hospital Phuket was waiting.

Ms Tirumalaraju remains unconscious in the hospital’s ICU, said Col Chatchai today.

Hers was the second reported diving accident in Phuket waters in less than a week. Just four days before, Korean tourist Kim Sang Min, 47, died after being pulled unconscious from the water near Coral Island (story here).

— Chutharat Plerin