Mystery Surrounds Deaths of Coast Guard Divers

According to the AP, the Coast Guard has launched two investigations into the mysterious deaths of two crew members from Florida who died during a training dive 500 miles north of Alaska. The Coast Guard has also relieved the captain of the ship the divers were on, pulled all diving equipment off the ship and suspended all polar diving. But nothing has been said about what might have killed 31-year-old Lieutenant Jessica Hill and 22-year-old Boatswain's Mate Steven Duque on August 17th, or when the investigations will conclude.

The Healy was on a research mission backed by the National Science Foundation. On board were three dozen scientists collecting data that would help them map the ocean floor and study the Earth's crust to better understand earthquakes, tsunamis and plate tectonics. The divers slipped into a patch of open water near the Healy's bow. A team held ropes attached to the divers, lest they become disoriented under the ice. Several research scientists watched from the deck. Source: AP