5 drown in beaches during holidays

By November 7, 2011Headlines, News

LINGAYEN–Five persons drowned in the beaches of the Lingayen Gulf during the long holiday last week in observance of Undas when people visit their departed loved ones.

One of the fatalities was a Japanese national residing in Mangatarem who drowned on Nov. 1 after he went for a swim, alone and drunk, in the beach in Barangat Tobuan, Labrador at past 1:00 p.m.

Two boys went missing while swimming at a beach in Dagupan City at 11:00 a.m. of Nov. 1, prompting a search and rescue operation by the Philippine Maritime Police, Philippine Coast Guard, Dagupan police and barangay officials.

Two other drowning incidents were earlier reported on Oct. 31 at the Lingayen Beach where the victims were identified as Samuel Balmores, 28, a Baptist minister, and his girlfriend Rowena Cuison, also 28, a school teacher from Lasip Chico, Dagupan City.

JAPANESE

The Japanese fatality, Hideo Noda, 56, checked in at Covelandia Resort in Labrador at about 11 a.m. with his wife Karen, 27, and two children.

At 1:00 p.m., beachcombers called the attention of a lifeguard as they saw a person who appeared to be drowning several meters from the shore.

After Noda was retrieved by the lifeguard, he was rushed to the Labrador Community Hospital where he was declared dead on arrival.

TWO BOYS

Meanwhile, the bodies of Edmark Eric Calderon and Mike Luis Lagrimas, both 13 years old, from Tandang Sora, Quezon City, were found only at 6:30 a.m. the next day near the Mac Arthur Park at Tondaligan Beach.

The two were among three boys who went for a swim at Tondaligan beach and were carried by high waves to the deeper portion of the Lingayen Gulf.

The third boy, whose name was not immediately known, was immediately rescued and rushed to the Region 1 Medical Center, some three kilometers away.

COUPLE

The Baptist minister and his girlfriend were on an outing with other members of the Baptist Church.

The drowning incident happened at 7:30 a.m.

The couple went for a swim with two companions who were also swept away by high waves but were rescued by responding members of the Coast Guard and the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council.

The high waves in the waters of the Lingayen Gulf were spawned by wind convergence that hit the northern, eastern and western boards of the country known to be prevailing at this time of the year.

Several drowning incidents were also recorded a few days earlier in neighboring La Union province.

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