A 37-year-old Chinese national has reportedly died from drowning near Sipadan Island in Sabah, Malaysia, after entering the water ‘without the permission of his instructor’.
The incident occurred at around 10.45 am on Monday, 19 May, during a dive trip in which eight people of various nationalities – including the victim’s wife – were participating, together with one instructor and four dive guides.
The diver, who has not been named, was seen panicking in the water before sinking, at which point the dive professionals began an emergency search and rescue effort.
He was found unconscious at a depth of approximately 25m, before being brought to the surface and given CPR on the boat.
He responded by taking a deep breath and vomiting, but did not regain consciousness while being transferred to the nearest mainland medical facility, Semporna Hospital, for treatment.
He was later transferred to Tawau Hospital in the capital of Sabah state, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
Semporna Regional Police Chief, Superintendent Mohd Sobri Zainol, said the incident was reported to the police at 6.45 pm, after the victim had died.
In a statement posted by Semporna District Police, Mr Sobri said (translated from Malay):
‘At approximately 10.45 am, a male Chinese citizen went into the water on his own without permission from the instructor and started to drown.
‘The boat driver saw the victim in a state of panic and informed the instructor of the incident. One of the dive guides searched for the victim and the victim was found unconscious at a depth of approximately 25 metres.
‘The victim was taken to the boat and given CPR but was unconscious. The victim only responded by taking a deep breath and vomiting but remained unconscious
‘The victim was taken to Semporna hospital to receive further treatment before being taken to Tawau Hospital. The victim was confirmed dead after arriving at Tawau Hospital.’
Semporna District Police have opened an investigation classified as a sudden death, and a post-mortem will be conducted on the afternoon of Tuesday, 20 May.
The police have asked that anybody with information that may be relevant to the investigation contact the local authorities as soon as possible.
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