Woman, 31, dies while scuba diving off popular Malaysian island
Woman, 31, dies while scuba diving off popular Malaysian island
Namita SinghThu, July 23, 2026 at 7:50 AM UTC
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File: A man rides a jetski at Teluk Bahang beach near George town on the Penang resort Island in Malaysia (AFP/Getty)
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A 31-year-old woman died in Malaysia while scuba diving in the waters off the Tioman island on 19 July.
The police ruled out foul play after post-mortem found that the diver, identified as Heng Hing Ying, died from an arterial gas embolism – a condition where gas or air bubbles enter the arterial bloodstream, blocking blood flow and preventing oxygen from reaching the tissues.
In severe cases, it can cause cardiac arrest, paralysis or strokes.
Rompin district police chief, Sharif Shai Sharif Mondoi, said the case has been classified as a sudden death as the investigation did not reveal any criminal elements at play.
"Although the case is being treated as a sudden death, a thorough investigation is still being carried out to determine whether there was any negligence, technical issues or carelessness involved," he said in a statement.
According to the police, the victim had participated in a coral reef awareness activity with her friends at Kampung Genting – a fishing and resort village located on the southwestern coast of the Tioman island in Malaysia – on 17 and 18 July. On 19 July, the woman along with nine other participants, as well as a dive instructor and a dive master, took part in a leisure dive at Batu Malang in Pulau Tulai.
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Batu Malang is a popular snorkelling and diving site located off the coast of Pulau Tulai, northwest of Tioman island.
"Although the victim and other participants were certified divers, they were given a safety briefing and instructions on the use of diving equipment before entering the water," he said.
The victim was believed to have been separated from the group, after they dived 17.6m deep into the water, forcing the instructor to immediately conduct search for the missing diver.
“After almost 30 minutes, the victim was found on the seabed not far from the diving site,” he said, reported the Asia News Network.
She was brought to boat, where CPR was administered in a bid to resuscitate her, but there was no response.
“She was taken to the Kampung Tekek clinic on the island, where she was pronounced dead by a medical officer. Her remains were sent to the Tengku Ampuan Afzan Hospital forensic unit in Kuantan for a post-mortem examination," he said.
In May, a group of five Italian divers died while attempting to explore caves at a depth of 50m (164ft) in the Vaavu Atoll in Maldives.
Source: “AOL Breaking”
