On Tuesday, 13 April, media in Finland reported that a fatal diving accident had occurred in the flooded Montola mine.

According to the information available, the dive in the flooded Montola mine was being carried out by a two-man team. At some point there were unspecified problems and one of the divers did not get out of the mine. We also know that the missing man was an experienced cave diver.

The missing man is an experienced diver. I have dived with him several times since 2006. As for the causes of the incident, we will know them later. Any speculation now is pointless – Jani Santala, president of the Montola Minie Divers Association, told the Finnish news agency STT

At 13.35 emergency services they received a report of a diving accident. A search was carried out until 15.40, unfortunately without any results. The local police then investigated the matter further. Their representative reported that one of the divers got out of the of the flooded mine the diver and reported him missing to the rescue centre. Unfortunately officers were unable to interview him as he had been hospitalised.

The officers then proceeded to investigate the course of events and organising suitably qualified divers who specialise in cave diving. In the worst case scenario, the search could take up to several days. Further official information on the incident is expected this afternoon (Wednesday, 14 April).

Around 2,000 dives take place at the Montola mine each year. Montola is not a difficult dive site for qualified people. Underwater conditions are stable and visibility is good. There are also handrails located. Montolais one of the safest mines, but unfortunately accidents also happen here , continues Santala

Flooded mine

Montola, is a former limestone mine that was filled in by groundwater after mining ceased. According to Finnish media, divers from the rescue team were unable to carry out a thorough exploration, so specialist cave divers were asked to help.

In the past, a fatal diving accident has occurred twice at the Montola mine. These occurred in 2008 and 2013.

The Belgian Denee Mine, is a real gem among places worth visiting for cave divers. You can read about it in the 13th issue of our the DIVERS24 quarterly magazine! The digital version of the magazine is available free of charge, while you can buy the printed version in our online shop.