BATANGAS CITY – Two Russian divers drowned while scuba diving in the shark-infested sea of Sitio Pulong Bato, Barangay San Agapito, Isla Verde, this city, on Thursday afternoon, Feb. 27.
TWO Russian divers drowned in the sea of Sitio Pulong Bato, Barangay San Agapito, Batangas City on Thursday, Feb. 27. (Photo via Danny Estacio)
The Police Regional Office 4-A identified the victims as Maksim Melekhov and Ilya Peregudin.
The Philippine Coast Guard-Batangas Station said that the victims and two other Russians and their master diver were scuba diving at around 1 p.m. when they were washed away by the strong current. Two Russian divers – Eduard Peregudin and his son Timofei – and the master diver swam to safety but the two victims were separated.
Melekhov was rescued by a co-diver and taken by the City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office to the Saint Patrick Hospital in Poblacion 2 here where he was declared dead by Dr. Reyland Tangog.
The PCG received report about the incident and mounted a search and retrieval operation for Ilya. The body of the victim was found with both arms missing from a suspected shark attack.
Rescuers had difficulty recovering the victim's body because of the shark-infested sea.
The remains of the two victims were taken to Puerto Galera, Oriental Mindoro for turnover to their families.