Autopsy fails to reveal cause of death in scuba diving fatality (Updated)

A post-mortem examination failed to reveal the cause of death of the 60-year-old Axel Schoeller who died while scuba diving in Paralimni, authorities said on Friday.  

There was no sign of suffocation or drowning found by state examiners Angeliki Papeta and Orthodoxos Orthodoxou, the Famagusta police spokesman Steve Theodoulou said.  

But samples were taken for histopathological and toxicological examination to investigate whether a pathological cause preceded it.  

“The cause of death of the 60-year-old is expected to be determined upon completion of laboratory tests,” the officer said.  

Police received an alert around 1pm on Wednesday about a dead diver in the Golden Coast area. 

According to authorities, Schoeller, an Austrian national and permanent resident of Paralimni, had gone diving with a friend in search of a ship wreckage. 

His body was spotted bobbing in the water. The coast guard arrived on the scene and brought the man ashore. 

He was rushed to Famagusta general hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead on arrival. 

Schoeller was one of the divers of the team retrieving the bodies of the victims of Cypriot serial killer army officer Nikos Metaxas from Mitsero red Lake in 2019. 

Commenting on his death, the former Director of the Fire Service, Markos Trangola praised the diver’s character. 

“It never crossed my mind that something like this could happen to you, even though you considered it the best death, as you said. I remember your voice and the sound of your breathing when you were underwater, and as if I could see you holding the first victim in your hands and bringing it to the surface. 

“I will always remember you Axel for your courage, your sensitivity, your love for Cyprus and our friendship that developed under shocking circumstances,” Trangola said.