Authorities search for three Europeans lost on dive; one rescued
One of four Europeans who disappeared during diving training, in a helicopter after being rescued, on the way to Mersing, Johor state of Malaysia, yesterday
Malaysian authorities rescued a Norwegian dive instructor and were searching yesterday for three other Europeans, including two teenagers, who disappeared while diving off a southern island.
Kristine Grodem, a 35-year-old registered diving instructor, was rescued by a tugboat early yesterday about 22 nautical miles from the dive site and airlifted to a hospital, according to Johor state maritime authorities.
The missing divers are Alexia Alexandra Molina, 18, of France; Adrian Peter Chesters, 46, of Britain; and his Dutch son, Nathen Renze Chesters, 14.
They were diving together Wednesday afternoon in water about 15 meters deep at an island off the town of Mersing in southern Johor state.
First Admiral Nurul Hizam Zakaria, Johor director of the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency, said Grodem was found safe with full diving gear and was in stable condition without any serious injuries.
He said she was providing dive training for the other three, who were seeking to obtain advanced diving licenses, and that a report was made after the group did not surface about an hour after the dive.
The agency began a search Wednesday afternoon before suspending it for the night due to poor visibility. The search resumed yesterday with two planes, 18 boats and about 90 personnel, including rescue divers.
District police chief Cyril Edward Nuing said Grodem told investigators that the group surfaced after around 40 minutes but the boat skipper didn’t see them, possibly due to rough water conditions. She was then separated from the others due to strong currents, she said.
“Based on her account, the three others managed to surface. With their equipment, their full gear and their experience, we believe there is a strong chance of finding them alive,” he said.
Johor police chief Kamarul Zaman Mamat said the boat skipper tested positive for drugs and has been detained for further investigation.
“We will investigate in terms of their diving equipment, the dive center and so on. A forensic team will be arriving. If there is misconduct and so on, we will investigate as well,” he was quoted as saying by the national Bernama news agency.
Malaysia reopened its borders to foreigners on April 1 after being closed for more than two years during the COVID-19 pandemic. The immigration department said more than 55,000 foreigners entered Malaysia in the first four days after the border was reopened. MDT/AP
