Six Malaysian rescue divers drown in whirlpool trying to save stranded teenager from water

Prime minister offers condolences to families as fire department team dragged into mining pool by vortex

Divers had been attempting to rescue a teenager from a mining pool when they were sucked into the vortex (Malaysia Fire and Rescue Department)

Six Malaysian divers have died after they were caught in a strong whirlpool while trying to save a teenager trapped in a disused mining pool.

The team who were members of the country’s fire brigade rescue department were killed during an operation in the town of Puchong, near Kuala Lumpur, on Wednesday evening.

Local authorities reported divers were dispatched to search for a 17-year-old, who was feared dead after slipping into the pool while fishing with friends.

Police said the divers, who were all tied to a single rope, had then become trapped in a vortex that had formed in the water.

They were eventually pulled unconscious from the water after around 30 minutes and received emergency medical treatment, but were unable to be resuscitated.

“During the incident, the six divers were already in the water for nearly five minutes, searching for the missing teen,” district police chief Abdul Aziz Ali told a press conference following the incident.

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

The victims, who were between the ages of 24 and 34, had been based at Port Klang and Shah Alam fire stations.

The Fire and Rescue Department of Malaysia paid tribute to the six men in a Facebook post on Thursday, offering condolences to their families.

Fire and Rescue Department director general Mohammad Hamdan Wahid told the New Straits Times a flood wall protecting the area had failed to contain water during heavy rains that day.

“There is a flood wall at the location but it was overflowed by floodwater,” he said. “We will investigate the matter further to ensure this tragedy can be avoided in future.”

Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad has also extended his sympathies to the families of the divers, saying the government was considering providing them with aid.

He urged them to “remain strong during a trying time”.