Chile: Investigation after salmon farmer found dead

Chile’s Public Prosecutor’s Office has begun an investigation into the death of a man employed by salmon farmer Los Fiordos earlier this week.

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Jorge Andrés Cid Guerrero, 31, was working on a feed barge located about an hour’s drive from Puerto Cisnes, around 500km south of Chile’s salmon farming capital of Puerto Montt.

Puerto Cisnes prosecutor Marcela Valdés said Los Fiordos reported Guerrero missing early on Tuesday and started an immediate search of the vicinity without being able to find him.

The Navy began a search operation, supported by boats, divers and one of the company’s remotely-operated submersible vehicles, which resulted in the discovery of the missing man’s body around 100 or 200 metres from the feed barge.

Deep regret

The body was retrieved and transferred to the Legal Medical Service to determine the cause of death and discard or confirm the participation of third parties.

In a statement yesterday, Los Fiordos said that “regarding the death of our colleague Jorge Andrés Cid Guerrero (31), we can say that we deeply regret it and we are supporting the family in this difficult process.”

It added: “Likewise, and in the framework of the future investigation to determine the cause of the death, we are supporting and delivering all the background required by the authority.”

The company reiterated its “commitment to the health and safety of those who work in our facilities, always complying with the highest standards to protect the integrity of each of them and the welfare of their families”.