A Briton and a French teenager were rescued on Saturday April 9, three days after disappearing while diving off the coast of Malaysia.
Adrian Peter Chesters, 46, and Alexandra Molina, 18, were spotted by fishermen and rescued by police, local police chief Cyril Eward Nuing said.
“They survived and are in hospital in stable condition,” he told a news conference. They were found off the coast of the state of Johor (south), far from the place where they had initially started their dive, before being transported to hospital.
On the other hand, the son of Adrian Peter Chesters, Nathen, 14, who accompanied them at the time of the tragedy, did not come out unscathed. The teenager of Dutch nationality “too weak…did not survive”, said a press release from the coast guard, quoting the father.
HELICOPTERS MOBILIZED FOR RESEARCH
The group, accompanied by a Norwegian instructor, had dived in the sea for around 40 minutes on Wednesday, near a group of islands in southern Malaysia, some 15 kilometers from the coast when the accident happened. product. But when the divers surfaced, they couldn’t find their boat and drifted in strong currents. The area where they disappeared is popular with tourists.
Penyelam warga Britain Adrian Peter Chesters dan warga Perancis Alexia Alexandra Molina yang hilang di Pulau Tokong Sanggol dekat Mersing, Johor pada Rabu ditemukan selamat – Polis pic.twitter.com/SY4Z6ZAR8N
— BERNAMA (@bernamadotcom) April 9, 2022
Their dive instructor, Kristine Grodem, 35, was rescued on Thursday after being detected at sea by a passing boat also a significant distance from the site where the group disappeared on Wednesday. She was picked up by a helicopter mobilized for the search and taken to the nearby district of Mersing, before being hospitalized in stable condition.
Rare accidents
Authorities did not give details on how the three rescued people survived. But according to them, the light rains observed in recent days may have helped the divers. Helicopters, boats and several dozen divers participated in the search. Police also revealed that the captain of the boat that took them to the diving area was arrested after testing positive for drugs.
Diving accidents are rare in Malaysia but in 2013 a British diver died after being injured by a boat engine while diving near islands in the South China Sea.