JAKARTA (Bernama): The body of a Malaysian man who died during a diving trip off Indonesia’s Aceh province has been repatriated, officials said Sunday.
Malaysia’s Consul General in Medan, Shahril Nizam Abdul Malek, confirmed that the remains of Haikal Rafie Halim, 33, from Selangor, were flown to Kuala Lumpur on Sunday evening.
"The flight departed Sultan Iskandar Muda International Airport in Aceh at 4.55 pm local time for Kuala Lumpur International Airport,” he told Bernama.
Haikal was part of a group of three Malaysian divers accompanied by a local dive guide when they encountered strong undercurrents near the Canyon dive site off Pulau Weh, near Sabang on Saturday.
"Haikal is believed to have panicked and was instructed to surface. Upon reaching the surface, he was found unconscious and reportedly foaming at the mouth,” Sabang police chief Sukoco stated in a statement.
He was taken by speedboat to Iboih Beach and rushed to the health centre, where he was pronounced dead at 10.50 am, before being sent to Sabang Hospital for a post-mortem, he added.
The incident occurred near the Zero Kilometer Monument, a popular dive site frequented by domestic and international tourists. - Bernama
