Search for missing Dutch diver called off, Indonesia to take over

The search and rescue operation for 14-year-old Dutch diver Nathen Renze Chesters who went missing in the waters of Pulau Tokong Sanggol last Wednesday has been called off at 1.30pm today.

Mersing district police chief Supt Cyril Edward Nuing said this was following the information and investigations findings that the British diver Adrian Peter Chesters and French national Alexia Alexandra Molina were at a position of 16 nautical miles north of Bintan Island, Indonesia, when they were found safe early this morning.

He said it was about 70 nautical miles or 100km from the location they were reported missing.

“Based on this information, we are of the opinion that the search efforts should focus on Indonesian waters and the operation in Malaysian waters is temporarily suspended.

“Our Indonesian counterpart has been informed of this matter and they will take over (the operation) in Indonesian waters. However, our assets at sea are always at the ready,” he told a press conference at the Carilamat base set up at the Mersing district council public jetty today.

When asked about Nathen’s fate, Cyril said the police had not received any further information on the diver.

“It is very likely that he is not in Malaysian waters based on the water current and the location of the two divers found this morning.

“At the moment, we cannot officially confirm Nathen’s actual situation but we reckon that he is still alive as we did not see anyone and we regard him as a missing person,” he said.

Cyril also said the Norwegian diver coach Kristine Grodem, 35, who was found safe last Thursday was in stable condition but she was not ready to give a statement.

“Similarly, the two divers (Adrian, 46, and Alexia, 18) are in stable condition and in high spirits,” he said.

Meanwhile, Mersing Maritime Zone director, Maritime Commander Khairul Nizam Misran, said that even though the SAR operation had been called off, assets of various agencies in the country’s waters were always on high alert and ready to assist the Indonesian authorities if needed.

Adrian and Alexia were found safe by local fisherfolk at a location south of Pengerang, near Kota Tinggi at about 1am today, while Kristine was found by a tugboat en route from Indonesia to Thailand at 8.15am Thursday.

The four of them went missing while diving off Pulau Tokong Sanggol, about nine nautical miles from Tanjung Leman, Mersing, last Wednesday.

- Bernama