The search for a 14-year-old Dutch boy who went missing during a dive in Malaysia has been called off after his rescued British father said he drowned after becoming too weak, authorities said.
Adrian Chesters, 46, and Alexia Molina, 18, from France, were found by fishermen four days after they disappeared off a southern Malaysian island and drifted some 100km away.
They were discovered early on Saturday in neighbouring Indonesian waters and taken to hospital, the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency said.
Mr Chesters’ Dutch son Nathen remained missing but Mr Chesters told police that he had died because he was too weak, the agency said.
A spokesperson said they notified Indonesian authorities to continue searching for the body. The search operation in Malaysia has been called off.
Ms Molina and Mr Chesters were found 30km north of Indonesia’s Bintan Island, which is about 100km from the location they were reported missing on Wednesday, according to Mersing police chief Cyril Nuing.
The three were diving with their Norwegian instructor, Kristine Grodem, about 50ft deep at an island off Mersing town in southern Johor state.
Ms Grodem, 35, was rescued Thursday by a tugboat. She said the four of them surfaced safely on Wednesday afternoon but later drifted away from the boat and were separated by a strong current.
Ms Grodem was training the other three, who were seeking to obtain advanced diving licences, maritime officials said.
The boat skipper was detained for further investigation, and diving activities off Mersing were suspended. There are several islands off the town that are popular dive spots.
Malaysia’s borders reopened to foreigners on April 1 after being closed for more than two years during the Covid-19 pandemic.
