Norwegian woman, 35, found ALIVE among group of four missing divers including British man and son
A Norwegian woman has been rescued alive after going missing while diving off Malaysia’s south east coast – with a British man and his 14-year-old son amongst the three others still unaccounted for.
Today diving instructor Kristine Grodem, 35, was found 30 nautical miles from where she was last reported seen, where she and the group were diving off the tiny island of Pulau Tokong Sanggol, nine miles from the coast, before they vanished on Wednesday.
The rest of the group, who remain missing, included Adrian Peter Chesters, a 46-year-old British man and his son, Nathen Renze Chesters, 14, a male Dutch citizen, and Alexia Alexandra Molina, an 18-year-old French woman.
Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) First Admiral Nurul Hizam Zakaria said Grodem was found by a tug boat in the waters off Tanjung Sedili in Kota Tinggi, en route from Indonesia to Thailand at 8.15am (2.15am GMT) ‘floating and fully equipped’ with her diving gear.
‘After being found, the 35-year-old victim was transferred to a MMEA helicopter and then taken to Mersing [Stadium] for further treatment,’ he reported.
Officials say the four, who were in the water for 40 minutes, ‘failed to return after undergoing a diving exercise’.
Today diving instructor Kristine Grodem, 35, (pictured) was found 30 nautical miles from where she was last reported seen, where she and the group were diving off the tiny island of Pulau Tokong Sanggol, nine miles from the coast, before they vanished on Wednesday
Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) First Admiral Nurul Hizam Zakaria said Grodem was found by a tug boat in the waters off Tanjung Sedili in Kota Tinggi, en route from Indonesia to Thailand at 8.15am (2.15am GMT) ‘floating and fully equipped’ with her diving gear (pictured after being transferred to a MMEA helicopter and then taken to Mersing Stadium)
Mersing police chief Superintendent Cyril Edward Nuing said the divers could not see their boat when they resurfaced, and they ended up drifting in strong currents.
‘The instructor tried to keep all of them together but they got separated,’ he said.
‘We believe the three victims will be found safe as they are experienced divers.’
A hunt involving boats from the coastguard, the police and the fisheries department was launched at 2.45pm (6.45am GMT), senior coastguard official Nurul Hizam Zakaria said in a statement.
Officials say the four, who were in the water for 40 minutes, ‘failed to return after undergoing a diving exercise’ – pictured, the tug boat which found Norwegian diver Kristine Grodem
But it was postponed at 7.30pm local time due on Wednesday to poor visibility and amid bad weather. The search resumed at 7am today.
Helicopters, boats and dozens of divers are hunting for the others – a 46-year-old British man and his son, a 14-year-old male Dutch citizen, and an 18-year-old Frenchwoman.
Police also revealed the boat captain who had taken the group to the diving site had been arrested after testing positive for drugs, without giving further details.
Grodem (pictured in the helicopter after rescuing) had been instructing the divers close to a small island about nine miles (15 kilometres) off the coast when the accident happened, authorities have said
Grodem had been instructing the divers close to a small island about nine miles (15 kilometres) off the coast when the accident happened, authorities have said.
‘The instructor tried to keep all of them together but they got separated,’ he said.
‘We believe the three victims will be found safe as they are experienced divers.’
The area where they disappeared is popular with foreign and domestic visitors – there are resorts dotted along the coast and on nearby islands.
The island where they disappeared, Pulau Tokong Sanggol, is about nine miles (15km), off the Malaysian coast
Diving accidents, while rare, do occasionally take place in Malaysia.
In 2013, a British tourist died when she was struck by a passing boat’s propeller while diving off resort islands in the South China Sea.
The tropical Southeast Asian nation’s white-sand beaches and lush rainforests have long made it a major draw, but the tourism industry was hit hard by travel curbs during the coronavirus pandemic.
The country’s borders reopened to foreign tourists last week after a two-year closure.
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