The body of a free-diver, who went spear-fishing late Saturday off the coast of Dumaguete City but went missing hours later, was retrieved yesterday in the waters of San Jose town, Negros Oriental.
Reports reaching the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said the free-diver, identified as Pedro Banua, of Daro, Dumaguete City, drowned.
Angelo Tiongson of PDRRMC said his office is still awaiting a full report on the incident.
Witnesses said that at around 2 p.m. Saturday, Banua and another free-diver went spear-fishing off the shores fronting the Escano Beach at Flores Avenue in Dumaguete.
An employee of a nearby resto-bar said he saw a man in the water waving his hands, but he was uncertain whether the person was in distress or not.
The second diver, whom Tiongson did not identify, was fishing far from Banua and was alarmed when his buddy did not surface after two hours.
He called for help but rescue teams deployed shortly after sundown searched to no avail. The inclement weather also made the search operation difficult.
Tiongson said he was informed that Banua’s body was found by a fisherman off the coast of San Jose, a town about 20 minutes drive north of Dumaguete, yesterday morning.*JFP
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