A STUDENT believed to be from Lancing has died in Malaysia after a snorkeling accident. 

Jake Samuel Andrews, 21, drowned while diving off the islands of Pulau Perhentian on Monday with a group of friends, according to local reports.

The University of Nottingham, where Mr Andrews had studied, said it was providing support to students in Malaysia and the UK.

A spokesman for the university said: "The University has been made aware of the sad death of one of its students.

“We have been liaising with the appropriate agencies to ensure that the family of the deceased receive support at this extremely difficult time.

"We are also offering support to their fellow students both in Malaysia and here in the UK, and would like to offer our condolences to everyone affected by this terrible loss.”

District police chief superintendent Khalid Che Lah told the Malaysia Chronicle that Jake was not wearing a life jacket and got into difficulty in the water.

He said: "His friends immediately saw him struggling for air and brought him to a waiting boat. He was sent to a clinic on the island but was pronounced dead on arrival."

The officer said Jake's body has been sent to hospital in Besut for a post-mortem examination.

According to Mr Andrews' Facebook profile, he was from Lancing in West Sussex and lived in Ningbo, China where the university has a campus.