British father and teenage son disappear while diving off Malaysian island
Adrian and Nathen Chesters were taking part in a training exercise off Pulau Tokong Sanggol, in waters about 15m deep.
Thursday 7 April 2022 10:58, UK
A British man and his teenage son are among three people still missing after a group of four disappeared while diving off the coast of a Malaysian island.
Adrian Chesters, 46, and his son Nathen Chesters, 14, a Dutch national, are still being sought alongside 18-year-old Alexia Molina, who is French.
Kristine Grodem, a 35-year-old diving instructor from Norway has been found, authorities in Johor state said.
She was discovered about 22 nautical miles from the group's last reported location, the Malaysia Maritime Enforcement Agency's Johor director, Nurul Hizam Zakaria, told reporters.
The four were taking part in a training exercise off Pulau Tokong Sanggol, nine nautical miles from the coastal town of Mersing, in waters about 15m (49ft) deep.
Ms Grodem, who was rescued by a tugboat and airlifted to hospital, said she was training the other three, who were hoping to obtain advanced diving licenses.
She said she lost sight of her fellow divers after the group drifted a long way from their boat because of strong underwater currents, Mr Zakaria commented.
"We hope to find the other victims as soon as possible," he added, noting that they had fully-functioning diving equipment and had surfaced before they disappeared.
A search and rescue operation was launched on Wednesday afternoon - before being suspended because of poor visibility and restarted on Thursday morning.
Authorities in neighbouring Singapore and Indonesia have been asked to keep a lookout.
Johor police chief Kamarul Zaman Mamat said the boat skipper had tested positive for drugs and was detained for further investigation.
The Foreign Office is in contact with the resort Mr Chesters and his son were staying at and has offered consular assistance.
Malaysia's borders were closed for more than two years during the pandemic and only reopened at the start of the month.
More than 55,000 tourists entered Malaysia in the first four days after the border opened, officials said.