Woman dies while diving in Tioman waters

KUANTAN, Pahang – A 31-year-old woman died while diving in the waters off Kampung Salang, Pulau Tioman in Malaysia on July 19.A post-mortem later found that she had died from arterial gas ­embolism, a condition where gas or air bubbles enter the arterial bloodstream, said Rompin police chief Sharif Shai Sharif Mondoi.Police investigations found no criminal elements, and the case was classified as sudden death.The victim, together with nine other participants, an instructor and a dive master, joined a fun dive at Seafan, Batu Malang, Pulau Tulai, the police chief said on July 19.“Before the dive, participants were briefed on safety ­procedures and equipment usage, although they were licensed divers,” he said in a statement on July 22, Bernama reported.Sharif Shai said the victim was believed to have separated from the group at a depth of 17.6m, leading the instructor to conduct a search.“After almost 30 minutes, the victim was found on the seabed not far from the diving site,” he said.He added that the victim was given CPR but showed no response and was taken to Kampung Tekek Clinic, where she was pronounced dead.Her body was later sent to the Forensic Unit of Tengku Ampuan Afzan Hospital for a post-­mortem. THE STAR/ ASIA NEWS NETWORK