New Hampshire Firefighter Dies In Scuba Diving Accident

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SWANZEY (WBZ-AM) -- A veteran firefighter is being remembered by a New Hampshire community after he died in a SCUBA diving accident over the weekend. 

Lieutenant Benjamin Tatro was on a group dive off the coast of Gloucester exploring the wreck of the Chester A. Poling when he started experiencing some issues under water. 

"One of the divers came upon him saw that he was tangled in some line, indicating that he was having difficulty breathing," said Carrie Kimball Monahan from the Essex DA's office. "The diver assisted him to the surface using an alternate oxygen source." 

When Tatro was brought to the surface, he was still breathing and alert but suffered a form of cardiac arrest on the way to the hospital.  He was pronounced dead a short time later.

The 37-year-old had been a member of the Swanzey fire department for almost twenty years and was an experienced rescue diver. The dive was not linked to department activities.

WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Kim Tunnicliffe reports


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