Four people who went missing while diving in Indonesia have been found alive after 24 hours at sea.
The divers, including two Irish tourists, an Austrian woman and one Indonesian dive guide, vanished after they were swept away by strong currents off the island of Flores.
The group were diving near Pulau Pangabatang in Sikka Regency, East Nusa Tenggara, on October 4 when the incident occurred.
The group were diving near Pulau Pangabatang in Sikka Regency, East Nusa Tenggara, on October 4 when the incident occurred.
The spot is a popular diving area of the Maumere Sea Gardens, famous for its sloping coral reefs and walls, while also being notorious for having strong currents.
The divers had been split into two teams, with each accompanied by a local guide. The first group included a 60-year-old Dutch tourist, Bart Hazes, along with his guide, 25-year-old Maria Rosa Hariana Djaa, who both surfaced as expected.
However the second team, with Austrian tourist Patricia Retter, 43, Irish divers Dervla Mulligan, 28, and Darragh McKiernan, 27, along with their local guide Frederik Horimpun, 39, failed to return after being caught in strong currents underwater.
The alarm was raised just after 2pm local time by the Maumere Search and Rescue Office, which is part of Indonesia’s national search and rescue agency Basarnas.
A search operation was then launched involving Basarnas, Maumere, the Indonesian Navy, East Nusa Tenggara water police and even local fishermen.
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