2 Chinese die while diving in Olango

CEBU, Philippines – Two Chinese tourists died after they went on scuba diving in the seawaters off Tingo Island, Olango, Lapu-Lapu City, at around 11 a.m. yesterday.

The victims were identified as Pang Chi Lung, 44, married, and Cheung Joanne Wai, 28, single.

The Lapu-Lapu City Police Office received the report on incident at 12:45 p.m.

Based on their initial investigation, PO1 John Philip Silmaro of the Lapu-Lapu City Police Office Homicide Section said they found out that the fatalities, together with three other Chinese friends went scuba diving with their Chinese diving instructor named Cheung Hung Kam.

After 40 minutes, the dive ended up but the others were surprised after their two companions failed to surface. They then decided to go back to the area and searched for their two friends, who were already floating unconscious.

The two victims were immediately rushed to the Mactan Doctors Hospital but doctors there declared them dead on arrival.

Last Friday, a day before the incident, the victims and their Chinese diver friends allegedly checked in at Paradive Scuba Diving Resort in sitio Boot, barangay Punta Engaño, Lapu-Lapu City.

Deborah Figueroa, representative of the said resort said that the tourists brought their own scuba gear and decided to go diving yesterday.

The cadavers of the victims were brought to Cosmopolitan Funeral Parlor in Lapu-Lapu City after their friends requested for an autopsy on their bodies.

The victims’ friends allegedly wanted to know what other reasons caused the death of the two aside from drowning.

“Sa pagkakaron nag- sige pa og imbestigar unya depende lang sab ni ron kung liable ba sab ang resort nga ilang gipuy-an ug ang diving instructor,” Silmaro said.

The parents of the fatalities will allegedly arrive today. — Christopher Gabriel Bonjoc/WAB (THE FREEMAN)