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SVN Solovelanet Global
News
P
anglao (Philippines) - On December 30th, two Chi-
nese tourists who had joined a tour on a traditional
Filipino sailboat together with eight compatriots fell
overboard and died.
"When the boat put to sea from one of the harbou-
rs of Bohol Island heading towards Panglao, the
southernmost part of this island, the sea was very
rough - explained the Coast Guard Lieutenant, Grade
Michael John Encina - and the boat had to face very
high waves that heeled her a lot."
Tragic end for two Chinese
tourists in the Philippines
The two men, 56-year-old Lan Rong and 63-year-
old Luo Renwei, were not wearing life jackets
when they fell overboard and were not known as
skilled swimmers.
Two crew members jumped into the sea to rescue
the two tourists, but when they managed to reach
them, there was nothing more to do for them.
Rescuers could not do more than retrieve the
corpses.
The police started an investigation into the acci-
dent assuming the boat owner, a local tour operator,
to be guilty of negligent manslaughter because when
the boat put to sea, he did not contact, as he should
have done, the coast guard who would have denied the
authorization to leave the harbour because of adverse
weather conditions.
Furthermore, the crew did not take care to make all
passengers wear the life jacket. Maybe if the two
passengers had worn life jackets, they wouldn't have
drowned.
