ILOILO — A 22-year-old graduating student from Iloilo City drowned on Sunday afternoon, December 28, while swimming at a popular cold spring resort in Pandan, Antique, authorities said.
The victim, identified only as alias “Angelo”, was a resident of Barangay San Isidro, Jaro, Iloilo City.
According to initial police and rescue reports, Angelo was on a family outing with relatives when the incident occurred at Dumagat Cold Spring in Barangay Guia, Pandan.
The group reportedly arrived at the resort earlier in the day and immediately went swimming. While floating in the water, Angelo suddenly failed to resurface. He was last seen about 50 meters from the riverbank.
Family members began searching for him and alerted resort personnel. A lifeguard on duty immediately dove into the water and later found Angelo submerged on the stream bed.
The incident was reported to authorities at around 1:10 p.m. Responding personnel from the Pandan Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, along with resort staff, assisted in the retrieval and emergency response.
Angelo was rushed to the Justice Calixto O. Zaldivar Memorial Hospital in Pandan, but he was pronounced dead on arrival by the attending physician.
Authorities reminded the public to observe safety precautions when swimming in natural bodies of water and to remain vigilant, even in areas with lifeguards, to prevent similar tragedies./PN
