Home

About

History

Privacy

Subscribe

Visitor Map

Advertise

Classies

Features

Contact

Latest

Archive

Summary

Tags

Weather

Your say

SMS

Business

Community

Heritage

Entertainment

Technology

News

Weather

Rural

Farming

Fishing

Forestry

Wine

Sport

Basketball

Cricket

Football

Hockey

Motorsport

Netball

Racing

Soccer

Softball

Browse >

Home / News / Diver’s body recovered

Diver’s body recovered

Posted on March 4, 2011, 8:08am

CAVE divers recovered the body of  Melbourne diver Agnes Milowka on Wednesday from Tank Cave in what is considered the most complex recovery exercise from a cave system in the history of Australian cave diving.

Police will prepare a report for the coroner in relation to the death of the 29-year-old after her body was recovered around 4pm.

Limestone Coast Superintendant Trevor Twilley thanked divers for their effort in the recovery task.

A South East cave diver who has been involved in recovery operations in Australia and the US — and who asked for his name to be withheld — told The Border Watch that the last challenging recoveries of the bodies of cave divers were performed in the 1970s.

“Those recovery exercises were mostly from open sinkholes or caves that are more easily accessible,” he said.

“The recovery of Agnes’ body is the most complex one to be performed in the history of Australian cave diving because of … the spiderweb of tunnels in the cave.”

Since Ms Milowka was reported missing while diving with a partner in Tank Cave on Sunday, highly experienced cave divers from the Cave Divers Association of Australia had used crow bars, water scooters and saws to clear a safe route to bring her body to the surface.

Her body was found in a very narrow “tight spot” in the cave system and it appeared that she attempted to find her way out before she ran out of air.

Supt Twilley said at the cave site on Wednesday morning, prior to completion of the recovery effort, the team of eight divers were making slow progress in recovering her body.

“(Wednesday morning) it took divers 32 minutes to get from the entrance to the location of the body, while before it took them much longer,” he said.

“Although they are quicker to reach the location where Agnes’ body is, visibility and the location are a problem — she’s in a small chamber with jagged edges and solid rock and divers are chiseling the rock and using saws.

“A diver can spend only 12 minutes down there and then has to return and wait for about three hours for the sediment to settle before they can return.”

Supt Twilley said it was planned that at least three divers would bring Agnes’ body to the surface.

“One diver will be in front with a light, another one behind him, then Agnes’ body and then one behind them,” he said.

“Alternative routes have also been worked out so that the person behind Agnes can get out, in case something happens.”

Supt Twilley said police divers — who are restricted by regulations in performing such a recovery — would be called in shortly before the body was brought to the surface.

It is understood that Ms Milowka swam away from her diving buddy to explore a channel in the cave system where there were no guide ropes, which are in the cave system on a permanent basis for divers to use.

According to Supt Twilley, Ms Milowka — like most cave divers — was known for getting a thrill out of exploring parts of caves that have never been explored before.

“That is what cave divers do when they go diving — they explore undiscovered parts of caves and if they didn’t do it, no one would have known that the channels in Tank Cave go for 7km,” he said.

“This is just a very unfortunate thing that happened to someone so young and so well respected in the Australian cave diving fraternity.”

Ms Milowka’s traumatised parents arrived at the scene on Sunday, where they remained until Tuesday before they returned to Melbourne.

“For personal reasons they did not want to be here at the final moment,” Supt Twilley said.

A spokesperson for the cave divers association said an investigation into safety procedures would be undertaken.

He said it had been an extremely emotional period for divers, who were glad the recovery process had been completed.

Tags: Agnes Milowka, body recovery, cave diver, Mount Gambier, Naracoorte, Tank Cave

Comments

Comments are closed.

Latest News

South East Zone squad announced

History in the making for South East duo

Debut country album gains national airplay

Metal heavyweights hit city

Bliss N Eso hit city this weekend

Businesses count cost of senseless vandalism

Four dead in horror crash near Padthaway

Locals ‘cue’ outside top two

Wilson earns Victorian call-up

Country style impresses in city

Safety risk threatens historic display

South East dominates state netball championships

Mid South East too strong for Mallee

Smooth sailing for new maritime museum

Joint effort sought to reopen cattle exports

South East bulls in demand at national sale

Search underway for bush poets

News tip, submit article or photo

Do you have pictures or information
about a breaking news event?

Email: [email-masked]

SMS: 0427 135 114

Copyright © 2008 The Border Watch

South Australia's Largest Regional Newspaper