Rescued Norwegian diver brought to Mersing Hospital, three still missing

MERSING: One of the four Europeans who went missing following a diving trip near Pulau Tokong Sanggol here has been found safe by Malaysian authorities.

Diving instructor Kristine Grodem, 35, who is from Norway, was found by rescue teams and air lifted by an Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) helicopter to the Mersing Stadium here at around 12.05pm.

She appeared healthy and an ambulance brought her to Mersing Hospital for medical check up.

Rescue teams were still searching for the three other missing persons who have been identified as British national Adrian Peter, 46, and his Dutch national son Nathan Renze, 14, and a French teenage girl Alexia Alexandra, 18.

On Wednesday (April 6), the four foreigners were reported missing after they went scuba diving near the island, which was nine nautical miles from the mainland.

Johor MMEA director First Admiral Nurul Hizam Zakaria said the Johor Baru Maritime Rescue Sub Centre received information about the matter through the Putrajaya Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre at 2.35pm on Wednesday (April 6).

"The skipper of a boat that ferried the four foreigners reported them missing to authorities after they failed to surface.," he said.

Nurul Hizam added that the authorities had launched a search and rescue mission to locate the missing divers involving a search area of 21.45sq nautical miles.

He said MMEA, together with the marine police and Fisheries Department, had deployed their respective assets to help locate the divers as soon as possible.