Six rescue divers die trying to save drowning teenager in Malaysia

The team entered the water after a 17-year-old boy fell in while fishing in Taman Putra Perdana in the west coast township of Sepang, Channel NewsAsia reports.

The teenager’s body has reportedly not yet been found.

Sepang district police chief Abdul Aziz Ali said a search and rescue operation would resume on Thursday morning.

The fire and rescue divers, all men, were caught in a strong current during the fatal operation.

Mr Abdul Aziz said it was drizzling with rain when the operation began at 9.15pm on Wednesday.

Two friends of the boy had frantically sought help from people nearby as the teenager struggled in the water, AsiaOne reports.

Mr Abdul Aziz said the divers had followed standard operating procedure by having full equipment and were tied to a single rope.

He said: “Suddenly a strong current occurred in the area, causing all victims to spin in the water while all their equipment came off.”

The divers reportedly struggled in the water for around 30 minutes as an effort to save them failed.

Selangor fire chief Azmi Osman said cardiopulmonary resuscitation was administered on the divers.

The rescue team members have been named in Asian media as Mohd Fatah Hashim, 34, Izatul Akma Wan Ibrahim, 32, Mazlan Omarbaki, 25, and Yahya Ali, 24, from the water rescue unit of the Port Klang Fire and Rescue station.

The other two victims, Adnan Othman, 33, and Muhammad Hifdzul Malik Shaari, 25, were members of the water rescue unit from the Shah Alam fire station.

Fire and rescue director-general Mohammad Hamdan Wahid said: “This is the first time (six divers died).

“There was one previous case when we lost two members of the department.

“We carried out CPR but could not save them and this is a very sad day for us. One which involved so many of our employees.”