Five divers who went missing at sea on Thursday in eastern Indonesia have been found. Chad Bouchard reports from Jakarta.
Indonesian authorities say all five divers were rescued alive Saturday morning from sparsely-populated Rinca Island, between the islands of Komodo and Flores. Local dive operator Daniel Winkler contributed a boat to the rescue operation. He says the five were taken to a hospital in Flores.
"They are a little exhausted, because they have no food and no drinks, but every person is in a good condition," he said.
The waters around Komodo are notoriously unpredictable. The Indian and Pacific oceans meet there, creating fast currents that can sweep divers away. Winkler says the water is particularly rough at this time of month.
"This day was a new moon, and new moon and full moon are the strongest current here. It was fast," he said.
Three of the divers are British; one is French and one is Swedish. They were found some 20 miles south of their starting point. Early search efforts were reportedly hampered by a lack of fuel for helicopters.