Woman dives into sea to rescue daughter but both drown

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines—A woman and her two-year-old daughter drowned when  the girl fell off a passenger ship an hour after it left Bacolod en route to Manila on Friday and the woman leaped into the water to rescue her, the Philippine Coast Guard reported Saturday.

Lt. Cmdr. Dominador Senador, Bacolod Coast Guard commander, told the Inquirer that Michelle Tiamsing, 30, and her daughter Joemcelle, 2, were passengers on the MV St. Peter the Apostle when, for a still unknown reason, the girl fell overboard.

The girl’s mother was heard shouting  after the girl fell and she then dove into the sea in an apparent attempt to save her daughter.

Senador said the incident happened about 2.7 nautical miles from the shoreline of Talisay City at about 5:30 p.m. Friday, an hour after the boat sailed from Bacolod’s Banago wharf.

When the crew learned about what happened, they stopped the vessel, released a life raft and sent a team to look for the mother and daughter.

The bodies of Michelle and Joemcelle were found 30 minutes later.