Three of the divers injured in the hyperbaric chamber of the Centro de Buceo de la Armada in Cartagena were moved from the intensive care unit at Hospital Santa Lucía to a general ward on 23 September 2026. Regional authorities and media reported the move. Their condition was said to have stabilised; they remain in hospital.
The incident occurred on the morning of 16 September 2026 in the hyperbaric complex at the naval facility in Cartagena. Initial reports said eight people were injured. In the following days, regional media and official sources confirmed that four people were receiving intensive care: three at Hospital Santa Lucía in Cartagena and one other person at Virgen de la Arrixaca in Murcia. On Tuesday, the authorities gave no new information on the current status of the person being treated in Murcia.
The Armada said that the incident had occurred during an activity in the hyperbaric area. An internal investigation has been launched to reconstruct the technical sequence of events and identify possible sources of error. At the same time, according to media reports, emergency services and additional hospital capacity in the Region Murcia were mobilised to ensure that the injured received care.
Detailed official clinical information on diagnoses, treatment or possible long-term effects is still not fully available. The management of Hospital Santa Lucía and the health authorities of the Region of Murcia provided no further medical details to the media. The latest transfers out of intensive care indicate an improvement, but do not allow conclusions to be drawn about the full course of recovery.
Investigators have not yet reached a definitive conclusion on the cause of the incident. According to the Armada, specialists are examining whether it may have been triggered by a technical fault or an operating error. Until reliable findings are available, statements on responsibility or future preventive measures remain provisional.
Facts, attributions and outlook at a glance: It is confirmed that three patients were moved out of intensive care at Hospital Santa Lucía on 23 September 2026 and that eight people were injured in the incident on 16 September. Reports of the ongoing internal investigation and the mobilisation of emergency and hospital capacity are attributed to the Armada and regional media. No forecasts on the further course of recovery or the organisational consequences of the investigation are currently available.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).