The horror scenario of all water sports enthusiasts has come true in Malaysia: after a dive, four Europeans can no longer reach their boat. They float in the sea for days. Three miraculously survive – but a young Dutchman dies.
A diving trip has turned into a nightmare for four European tourists off Malaysia. After training at a depth of 15 meters, the group had just resurfaced when the current blew the four of them apart. For days, emergency services searched for the missing persons on water and in the air. A 14-year-old Dutchman is reportedly dead. Two other missing people – a 46-year-old Briton and an 18-year-old French woman – were miraculously rescued from the sea after three days. The 35-year-old diving instructor from Norway had already been rescued on Thursday.
The victim is the son of the rescued Briton. “The 14-year-old is still missing but his father has confirmed he is dead,” said Nurul Hizam Zakaria of the Malaysian Coast Guard (MMEA). The body is now being searched for in Indonesian waters because the divers have been carried off very far. The father said his son was completely weak and died of exhaustion, the Malay Mail newspaper reported.
Diving trip off Malaysia turns into a nightmare
The British and the French were discovered by fishermen on Saturday night 70 nautical miles from the dive site north of the Indonesian island of Bintan. The search for the missing boy is therefore focused on this area, said police chief Cyril Edward Nuing. The operation in Malaysia will be temporarily suspended. Crews of all merchant ships and fishing boats in the area have been asked to keep a lookout for the victim.
According to the authorities, the condition of the rescued is stable. They are being treated in a private hospital in the city of Pasir Gudang. The diving instructor, who was also initially missing, was found in good condition after 20 hours in the water – 30 nautical miles from the site of the dive.
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All three are to be questioned about the exact course of the emergency, but they must first recover. “At the moment, the victims are still traumatized by what they experienced,” said local police chief Datuk Kamarul Zaman Mamat. Various aspects would be examined, such as whether there was negligence involved and whether the training was carried out in accordance with the regulations. The captain of the boat that took the group out to sea has since been arrested after testing positive for drugs.
The tourists, together with their diving instructor, left on Wednesday for an excursion off the island of Pulau Tokong Sanggol in the state of Johor, about nine nautical miles (16.6 kilometers) from the mainland. When they did not return to the boat, the authorities initiated the search operation. The diving instructor explained that the group could no longer see the boat and had drifted apart because of the current.
Diving area is known for unpredictable currents
All had trained for the Advanced Open Water Diver certification. However, the area off Pulau Tokong Sanggol is known for its strong and unpredictable current.
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Since the search operation began, the authorities had shown confidence that the missing people could be recovered alive because of their diving experience. They were also equipped with diving equipment such as fins and vests as well as training material. (dpa/miri)
