A Jonesboro man died Saturday morning and another was injured in a diving accident at Norfork Lake near Quarry Marina, the Baxter County sheriff's office said in a news release.
Brian Malone, 46, was training with a group of divers under the instruction of Todd Reed, who is also from Jonesboro, the release said. According to authorities, the group had submerged to about 100 feet below the surface when Malone became confused and started to swim deeper.
Reed, 37, swam after him and pulled Malone back to the surface. The sheriff's office said Reed had to swim 177 feet below the surface to get to Malone.
Deputies, Arkansas Game and Fish authorities and emergency responders converged at the shore after receiving a call at 10:51 a.m., the release said.
Authorities took Malone to Baxter Regional Medical Center in Mountain Home. He was pronounced dead at 11:58 a.m.
Because of the deep dive, Reed was airlifted to a Fayetteville facility equipped with a decompression chamber.
Metro on 06/12/2016