British man, 46, and boy, 14, missing after divers disappeared 9 miles off Malaysian island – World News

The 46-year-old man and the 14-year-old boy took part in a diving exercise off Pulau Tokong Sanggol near the coastal city of Mersing in the south-east of the country on Wednesday afternoon

A Briton and a teenager are among four divers missing nine miles off the coast of a Malaysian island.

The 46-year-old man and the 14-year-old boy took part in a diving exercise off Pulau Tokong Sanggol near the coastal city of Mersing in the south-east of the country on Wednesday afternoon.

They were reported missing along with an 18-year-old woman from France and a 35-year-old Norwegian woman.

Malaysia’s Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) has launched a search and rescue operation.

Coast Guard, Police and Fisheries Agency teams set out around 2:45 p.m. local time (6:45 a.m. GMT).

The dive team are said to have been taken to a location before they were reported missing by a skipper, who reported the incident to emergency services when the group failed to surface.

Johor Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) director, First Admiral Nurul Hizam Zakaria said: “The tekong (skipper) of a boat that brought the four foreigners to the site made a report on the divers returning after a diving exercise didn’t show up around noon.

“The missing four are two British men and two women, one French and one Norwegian, aged between 14 and 46.

“A forward base of operations has been established at the Mersing District Council public jetty.”

Pulau Tokong Sanggol, the island from which the group disappeared, is about nine nautical miles (16.6 km) from Tanjung Leman, Mersing.

The area is popular with foreign and local tourists as it is scattered along the coast and nearby islands and is popular for diving.