JAKARTA - All five Europeans who went missing while scuba diving in treacherous waters off eastern Indonesia were found alive Saturday on a remote island, police and family members said.
The divers -- three from Britain and one each from France and Sweden -- were rescued following a massive sea search in the area where they were last seen Thursday plunging into the water from their wooden boat, said Lt. Col. Buce Helo, a local police chief.
He said the five had drifted more than 12 hours before arriving at Rinca island about 32 kilometres away from their dive site. They spent one night there before being found by rescuers just before noon on Saturday.
Rescuers took them by motorboat to Labuhan Bajo, a city on the western tip of nearby Flores island, said Pariman, chief of the local port authority.
The five were rushed to a local hospital.
Pariman, who goes by only one name, described their condition as weak but healthy.
"They are alive and are now on their way to get medical assistance," Ernest Leandowski, the husband of one of the British divers, Kathleen Mitchinson, told the British news agency Press Association. "That is all I can say at this stage, as I have not yet spoken to my wife."
The diving trip took place off of Tatawa island, near the Komodo National Park, which is home to the world's largest lizards, the Komodo dragons. The area is famous for its rich marine diversity but also for its treacherous and unpredictable seas.
Recommended only for experienced divers, it is in a place where the Indian and Pacific Oceans meet, creating currents that converge and separate. Whirlpools and eddies can pull divers downwards.
"They have been floating out there for two days," Dave Allin, the relieved father of Charlotte Allin, also of Britain, told Press Association. "We are still waiting for news of how they are."
The three other divers were identified as James Manning of Britain, Elena Neralairen of Sweden, and Lauren Pinel of France.
Rinca island is about 32 kilometres south of Tatawa.
