Kuala Lumpur: Six scuba divers, including two foreigners, who went missing off a Malaysian resort have been rescued by a passing tugboat after they spent 21 hours floating in the sea, an official said on Sunday.
The six - four Malaysians, one Singaporean and one from China - disappeared yesterday after they went for scuba diving off Tioman islands, said a Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) official.
MMEA had launched a rescue bid yesterday with three boats but had to stop the search operations last night due to poor visibility.
The search was resumed this morning with additional boats, reported Malaysia Star newspaper.
District enforcement chief Maritime Capt Abdul Aziz Idrus said a local tugboat located and rescued the divers about 20 nautical miles north of Tulai Island, about 3km from Chebeh Island in Tioman today.
Only one person with the group, whose members were aged between 25 and 33 resurfaced after the dive yesterday, he said, adding that there were two women in the group.
"A report was then lodged at the Pulau Tioman Marine Park," said Idrus, adding that the Kuantan district maritime investigation department is looking into the cause of the incident.
PTI
First Published: Sunday, June 24, 2012, 23:12