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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
World
Rozanna Latiff & Graeme Murray

Brit dad rescued at sea in Malaysia says missing son is dead with search called off

A teenager who disappeared after going diving off the coast of Malaysia has died, according to his father who was found drifting at sea.

Nathan Renze Chesters, 14, and his British father Adrian Peter Chesters, 46, were in a group of four who vanished on Wednesday afternoon on a training dive near the small island of Tokong Sanggol.

Adrian and Alexia Alexandra Molina, 18, from France were rescued by fishermen on Friday off Indonesia's Bintan island, southeast of Singapore, and some 100 km (60 miles) south of where they went missing, officials said.

The group's instructor, Kristine Grodem, 35, from Norway, was rescued on Thursday.

Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) officers search for the missing divers (via REUTERS)

Nathan, whose body has not been recovered, was confirmed to have died by his father "as he was too weak and could not survive", the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency said in a statement.

Police had said Indonesian authorities would take over the search for the teenager as he had likely drifted into their waters.

"We believe there is a high likelihood that he is no longer in Malaysian waters based on the movement of sea currents, as well as the time and location where the other victims were found," Mersing district police chief Cyril Edward Nuing told reporters.

Malaysian assets would be on standby to help, he said.

Grodem earlier told officials the group surfaced about an hour into their dive on Wednesday but could not find their boat.

She was later separated from the others after being caught in strong currents.

The boat operator who took them to the dive site was detained after testing positive for drugs, police said.

The Mirror said earlier today how Adrian Peter Chesters had been rescued at sea.

The 46-year-old, was rescued after drifting at sea two and a half days after going missing, police said.

Rescuers were still searching for the Brit dad's 14-year-old son, Nathan Renze Chesters - before he was confirmed dead later this morning.

Adrian was found along with Alexia, 18, from France, by fishermen at around 1am local time on Saturday.

They were spotted in waters off Pengerang, a considerable distance to the south of where they disappeared, Mersing district police chief Cyril Edward Nuing told reporters.

"Both individuals ... are reported to be in stable condition," he said, adding that marine police had taken them to hospital.

He declined to provide more details of the rescue.

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