5 drown in Luzon provinces over the weekend

LINGAYEN, Pangasinan/ SAN FERNANDO CITY, La Union – Five persons, including a teen and a young boy, drowned in separate incidents in San Fabian, Burgos and Gualsic towns in Lingayen, Pangasinan; and Barangay Balaoi in Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte and Barangay Paringao in Bauang, La Union over the weekend, authorities reported.

Four of the five fatalities were identified as Angelo Ayroso, 28, of Allaga, Nueva Ecija; Christian Uraga, 18, of Capas, Tarlac; Eugenio De Guzman, 37, of Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte; and an eight-year-old boy named “Andrew,” of Aurora Hill, Baguio. Police are still identifying the other victim who is a woman in her thirties.

In San Fabian town, Ayroso, a construction worker, was reportedly drunk when he went swimming in a public beach Sunday afternoon. A resident said he was with his family when the incident happened.

In Burgos town, Uraga also drowned while swimming in the waters off Cabongaoan Beach Saturday.

Both Ayroso and Uraga were brought to hospital but were later declared dead on arrival.

Authorities in Barangay Gualsic, Alcala also discovered a dead woman floating on a river bank. The fatality was described as about 5’3” tall, 30years-old and above, with long hair, and clad in brown T-shirt and dark blue leggings. Authorities believed the woman has been dead for two to three days already.

Meanwhile, Chief Inspector Dexter Corpuz, spokesperson of the Ilocos Norte police provincial office, said that De Guzman drowned while swimming at the seashore of Sitio Malingay, Barangay Balaoi, Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte around 4 p.m. Sunday.

The victim’s body was recovered by the rescuers few minutes after the incident and was rushed to the nearest hospital but he was declared dead on arrival.

The last victim, Andrew, was seen floating by another child on a swimming pool in a resort in Barangay Paringao, Bauang, La Union on Saturday afternoon. He was immediately pulled out of the water and rushed to nearest hospital but died.