CEBU, Philippines - Two foreign tourists drowned while snorkeling in Lapu-Lapu yesterday in two separate incidents.
Lapu-Lapu City Police Office homicide investigator SPO2 Winston Ybañez identified the first fatality as Hyo Kim Ahn, 63, of South Korea temporarily billeted at the Crown Regency Hotel.
Ybañez said the incident happened past noon but they were only informed an hour after Hyo’s arrival at the Mactan Doctors Hospital where she was declared dead.
Before the accident Hyo and another Korean tourist rented a motorized banca for island-hopping and snorkeling.
When they arrived in one of the designated dive and snorkel spots off Barangay Talima, Olango Island, Hyo reportedly jumped off the boat with her snorkel on.
Hyo’s companions said she might have swallowed a lot of water when she hit the surface and became unconscious.
No one onboard succeeded in reviving Hyo and the boat operator rushed her to the main island of Lapu-Lapu City and brought her to the said hospital.
An hour later a Japanese tourist drowned while snorkeling off Pandanon Island, another dive spot in Lapu-Lapu City.
Police identified the fatality as Kenji Inamasu, 39, from Fukuoka, Japan, who just arrived in Cebu last Sept. 19 based on his passport.
Ybañez said Inamasu and his friends were snorkeling when they suddenly noticed Inamasu was floating freely face-down.
The man reportedly failed to respond to calls, after they found he was unconscious they rushed him to the same hospital where Hyo was brought.
Ybañez said one of Inamasu’s friends, by way of hand signs, said the fatality had a heart condition.
The police plan to have the bodies autopsied to know the definite causes of death. The police are also expecting the tourists’ travel agencies to cooperate and help them inform the families of their clients of their deaths. — /BRP (FREEMAN)