Six rescue divers have drowned while trying to save a teenager from a disused mining pool in Malaysia.

They were searching for a 17-year-old boy who is thought to have fallen into the body of water while fishing with his friends on Wednesday.

Authorities said the divers became caught in a “whirlpool” and sudden strong currents caused some of their equipment to come off.

The search for the missing boy resumed on Thursday.

‘A very sad day’
The boy and his friends were about to start fishing at the mining pool in Sepang district in Selangor state when he fell in, reports said.

The divers followed all safety procedures as they went into the pool on a search and rescue mission, according to Sepang district police chief Abdul Aziz Ali.