The Philippine Coast Guard’s retrieval operations for the remaining bodies of the ill-fated M/V Catalyn-B was halted Friday after one of their divers died during the risky underwater mission.

PCG-NCR District Commander Commodore Luis Tuason Jr. said that one member of the Special Operations Group (S.O.G.) divers lost his consciousness while attempting to retrieve some of the remaining bodies trapped inside the ship that sank in the waters off Limbones Island.

The diver was later identified as PO2 Armand Bonifacio.

Commodore Tuason said that upon noticing that Bonifacio was already unconscious, other S.O.G. Divers immediately come to his side and headed to the ship BRP-Pampanga where he was given first aid procedures.

Prior to the incident, the team had already retrieved one body of an unidentified female passenger.

Latest information reveals that the death toll already increased to 11, with 16 others still missing.

Right after the incident at 2 p.m., Tuason decided to suspend the operation to rush Bonifacio to the Jose Reyes Memorial Hospital in Manila.

Doctors attempted to revive the 42-year old Bonifacio to no avail. He succumbed to death around 3:40 p.m., apparently due to cardiac arrest based on initial findings.

“The operation is once again suspended after one of our men died. From here, we will wait for the autopsy result of PO2 Bonifacio before we proceed with the retrieval operations anew,” Tuason said.

Bonifacio was one of the S.O.G Divers who volunteered to dive around 221 feet underwater, as PCG Auxiliary Diving Expert Capt. Matt Caldwell was unavailable.

Lead diver Lt. Cdr. Marco Gines of the PCG-SOG said that the operation went well when they started around 8 a.m. on Friday when something went wrong. Bonifacio was already ascending around 140-feet that moment.

“Okay naman ang start namin eh. Everything goes well, nakapag-retrieved pa nga sila ng katawan tapos around 140-feet when they are already ascending sumenyas nang hindi okay si P02 Bonifacio sa buddy niya, which is PO3 Saturnino Cahilig”, Lt. Cdr. Gines said.

Bonifacio was immediately brought at the decompression chamber of BRP-Pampanga for treatment. Gines said the diver was responding well during the first few minutes, but his condition worsened as the vessel docked along Pier 15.

Commodre Tuason said that they will study the situation before deciding to continue the retrieval operation after Friday’s unfortunate turn of events.