Norwegian diver found safe off Malaysia, search for 3 others missing continues

A Norwegian woman who disappeared while diving off Malaysia's southeastern coast was found safe on Thursday, maritime officials said, as a search continued for three other missing people.

Diving instructor Kristine Grodem, 35, was among four reported missing on Wednesday about an hour after going on a training dive near Pulau Tokong Sanggol, a small island about 15 kilometres (9.32 miles) off the southern state of Johor.

She was with three Europeans identified by authorities as Frenchwoman Alexia Alexandra Molina, 18, Briton Adrian Peter Chesters, 46, and son Nathen Renze Chesters, 14, a Dutch citizen.

Grodem was airlifted to safety on Thursday morning after being found by a tugboat about 22 nautical miles from the group's last reported location, the Malaysia Maritime Enforcement Agency's Johor director Nurul Hizam Zakaria told reporters.

Grodem told authorities she lost sight of the other divers after the group drifted far from their boat due to strong underwater currents, according to Nurul Hizam.

Officials however were optimistic of finding the rest, as they had fully-functioning diving equipment and had surfaced before they had disappeared.

"We hope to find the other victims as soon as possible," Nurul Hizam said, quoted by Reuters.

Grodem was picked up by a helicopter involved in the search effort and taken to nearby Mersing district, police official Cyril Edward Nuing said. She is in hospital in a stable condition.

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 had been instructing the divers close to a small island about 15 kilometres (nine miles) off the coast when the accident happened, authorities said. 

The group was in the water for 40 minutes. When they surfaced, they could not see their boat and drifted in strong currents, Nuing told reporters.

"The instructor tried to keep all of them together but they got separated," he said, quoted by AFP.

Authorities in neighbouring Singapore and Indonesia as well as ships passing by the area, have been notified to keep a lookout, he added.

The waters off Johor are part of one of the busiest shipping lanes in Southeast Asia.

The divers' disappearance comes just days after Malaysia reopened its borders on April 1 after more than two years of pandemic-related closure.

More than 55,000 foreigners entered Malaysia in the first four days since reopening, according to the immigration department.