The research continues.
On Thursday, a Norwegian diving instructor was rescued after being reported missing off the coast of Malaysia.
But according to the authorities, his three companions, among whom is a Frenchwoman, have still not been found.
Kristine Grodem, 35, was detected at sea by a passing boat a significant distance from the site where the group disappeared on Wednesday.
She was picked up by a search helicopter and taken to nearby Mersing district, local police officer Cyril Edward Nuing said.
She is hospitalized and in stable condition.
Helicopters, boats and several dozen divers are taking part in the search to find the rest of the group, a 46-year-old Briton and his son, a 14-year-old Dutchman and an 18-year-old Frenchwoman.
The captain of the boat arrested
Police also revealed that the captain of the boat that took them to the diving area was arrested after testing positive for drugs.
The instructor had taken the group to a cluster of small islands, Pulau Tokong Sanggol, some 15 kilometers off the coast when the incident occurred.
The group had dived in the sea for 40 minutes.
But when the divers surfaced, they failed to see their boat and drifted in the strong currents, the officer said.
"Their instructor tried to keep them together but they got separated."
“We believe that the three victims will be found safe and sound since they are experienced divers,” he said.
The area where they disappeared is popular with local and foreign tourists and dotted with hotels.
Diving accidents are rare in Malaysia but in 2013 a British diver died after being injured by a boat engine while diving near islands in the South China Sea.
Malaysia reopened its borders to international tourists last week after two years of closure due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
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