AP

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Officials say that a civilian diver involved in searches for dozens of missing people from a ferry disaster has died.

Government task force spokesman Ko Myung-seok said the diver died at a hospital Tuesday after becoming unconscious following searches off the southern coast, where the Sewol sank on April 16.

Other task force team officials say the 53-year-old diver was pulled to the surface by fellow divers after losing communication.

The ferry disaster left 260 people dead, with about 40 others still missing. Government and civilian divers are fighting rapid currents as they try to retrieve the remaining bodies.