2 drowned in Pangasinan

DAGUPAN CITY — Two men drowned in two separate incidents in Pangasinan province over the weekend, police said on Monday.

William Dait, 34, a construction worker, was dead when rescuers found him about two hours after he was swallowed by waters off Tambobong Beach in Dasol town om Sunday, according to case investigator Police Officer 2 Terence Ferrer.

This was the first drowning incident reported this year in the area.

Ferrer said Dait had earlier complained of leg cramps and dizziness as he returned to shore after swimming for a few minutes. But at 5:30 p.m., his companion noticed that Dait was missing. Rescuers found him 100 meters from the shoreline at about 8:30 p.m., with blood oozing from his eyes.

He was immediately taken to the Dasol Community Hospital, where a doctor declared him dead on arrival.

In San Fabian town, Rudy Esponja, a 19-year-old student from Paniqui town in Tarlac province, drowned after he was swept by strong current around 10:30 a.m. in the waters off Barangay (Village) Nibaliw Vidal also on Sunday.

Rescuers retrieved Esponja’s body later but he did not make it alive to a hospital in Dagupan City.                  /kga