Korean declared missing during weekend beach party with his family

OPOL, Misamis Oriental – What ought to be a happy family weekend at a beach resort here turned into a nightmare for a Korean family after Kim Sho Huam, was declared missing after he fell off the jetski he was riding on Sunday afternoon.

Insp. Sebastian Chua, chief of the Opol police station, said the Koreans were having a weekend party at the Maravilla Beach Resort when the incident happened.

Chua said family members claimed Kim did not know how to swim.

Ruby Madlas, officer in charge of Ajis Aqua Sports and Beach Resort, which is adjacent to the Maravilla Beach, said he noticed Kim riding on a jetski, but after a few minutes, he saw the jetski still running in throttle but without a rider.

Madlas said search and rescue groups composed of the Opol Beach Guards (OBG) and fishermen were immediately sent to look for Kim.

Members of the Philippine Coast Guard’s Special Operations Unit (SOU) also scoured the area.

The search was called off 10 p.m. Sunday. It resumed 9 a.m. Monday.

But Ensign Patrick John Cabasag, head of the SOU, said the chances of Kim surviving was slim.

Cabasag said they have shifted their operation from search and rescue to search and retrieval.

Cagayan de Oro City’s Macajalar bay, which extends to Misamis Oriental’s Eastern and Western towns is known for its treacherous sea under current.

A local fisherman said the current in the area changes regularly. “Sometimes it will take you to El Salvador (Western side) or sometimes, it

will take you as far as Camiguin Island (North Eastern side),” the fisherman said.