Four Europeans lost during dive training off Malaysia

Authorities are searching for divers from the UK, France and Norway

A member of the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency. The agency is searching for four European divers, including two teenagers, who disappeared during training. AFP

A search for four European divers, including two teenagers, is under way after they disappeared during training off a Malaysian island.

Authorities are searching for a 46-year-old British man, a 14-year-old British boy, an 18-year-old French woman and a 35-year-old Norwegian woman.

They went missing while diving at an island 16.5 kilometres off the coastal town of Mersing in southern Johor state, the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency said.

The search, which began on Wednesday afternoon, was halted for the night due to poor visibility, AP reported. It resumed early on Thursday.

No further details were immediately available.

Malaysia reopened its borders to foreigners on April 1 after they remained closed for more than two years because of the Covid-19 pandemic. The immigration department said more than 55,000 foreigners entered Malaysia in the first four days since the border opened.