KUALA LUMPUR, May 20 — A Chinese tourist drowned while scuba diving off Sipadan Island in Semporna, Sabah, in a tragic incident witnessed by his wife on Sunday.
The 37-year-old man reportedly entered the water without his instructor’s supervision and was seen panicking before he submerged and disappeared, Harian Metro reported.
Semporna police chief Superintendent Mohd Sobri Zainol said the incident was reported to police at 6.45pm after the man was confirmed dead at Tawau Hospital.
Initial investigations showed the victim was among eight divers from various countries taking part in a dive session led by an instructor and four professional divers.
A boatman saw the victim struggling in the water and one of the professional divers later found him unconscious at a depth of around 25 metres.
The victim was pulled to the surface and given CPR onboard, during which he briefly responded by gasping and vomiting before losing consciousness again.
He was first brought to Semporna Hospital and then referred to Tawau Hospital, where he was pronounced dead upon arrival.
Police have classified the case as a sudden death report (SDR) and scheduled a post-mortem at Tawau Hospital at 2pm today.
