BANGUI, Ilocos Norte – A United States Marine drowned in the sea of Sitio Suyo, Barangay Baruyen, this town, on Friday, Dec. 20.
Police Staff Sgt. Dominic Tangliben, Bangui police investigator, identified the victim as Corporal Edmond Zhu, 20.
The victim and colleague Corporal Isaac Torres swam in the sea without notifying their companions and despite the stern warning of their Filipino counterparts.
The sea was unsafe for swimming due to the strong waves.
Torres sought help after he saw Zhu taken by the waves.
The victim was rescued and taken to a hospital where he was declared dead.
Zhu was temporarily based in Laoag City, Ilocos Norte for a joint military training with Philippine Marines.
Meanwhile, three persons also drowned in Ilocos Sur and Pangasinan.
The victims were a 48-year-old man from Cabugao, Ilocos Sur who drowned in the sea of Sinait, Ilocos Sur; a 55-year-old man reportedly suffering from hypertension who drowned while fishing on a river in Mabini, Pangasinan, and a 16-year-old who drowned while bathing in a waterfall in Bolinao, Pangasinan during a family outing.