Four rescued Japanese scuba divers return home after Indonesia ordeal

Four Japanese scuba divers who went missing off Bali for three days before being rescued from a rocky outcrop returned home on Friday, looking exhausted from the terrifying ordeal.

Crowds of journalists were waiting for them at Kansai airport in western Japan when they arrived home from Indonesia.

“I feel terrible to think that we could not come back together,” said Emi Yamamoto, one of the four, referring to fellow diver Ritsuko Miyata whose body was discovered earlier this week.

“I hope we can recover soon and go back to life as it was before,” said Yamamoto, whose face was badly sunburned.

The four women were among seven who disappeared after setting off on a diving expedition last Friday.

Five were rescued, while the body of a sixth was found floating near a beach. One woman is still missing, although the Indonesian authorities have now called off their search.

The party of seven set off last week from Nusa Lembongan island just east of Bali but soon got lost. After drifting for a long time, they were slammed against rocks near the coast and were “swallowed by big waves three to four times” they said in Indonesia.