Investigation underway after 64-year-old diver dies in propeller incident off Bimini

BIMINI, Bahamas — A 64-year-old man died after suffering injuries from a boat propeller while diving off Bimini in the northern Bahamas, authorities confirmed Friday.

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Police in Alice Town said the incident happened Thursday afternoon, about 17 miles off Bimini aboard a 61-foot sport fishing vessel named Great Lakes.

Police said they were notified shortly after 3 p.m. and contacted the U.S. Coast Guard.

They said officers with the Royal Bahamas Police Force and members of the Royal Bahamas Defence Force responded to the area and located the boat northwest of North Bimini around 4:30 p.m.

Authorities said six men were aboard the gold-colored boat when officers discovered one man had suffered severe injuries to his right leg.

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Investigators said the group had been diving when the victim reportedly became entangled in the boat’s propeller.

After discussions between Bahamian police, the boat captain and the U.S. Coast Guard, officials determined the boat should head to Miami — about 38 miles away — so the injured man could receive emergency medical treatment.

Police later learned the man, who has not yet been identified, died from his injuries while the boat was en route to the United States.

UCCG officials told Local 10 News that a Fort Lauderdale rescue crew assisted in the incident and that the diver was brought back ashore, where he was pronounced dead by the local medical examiner’s office.

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No other details about the investigation were immediately released.