A supposed trip of two siblings to gather shellfish turned into a tragedy when one of them drowned in the Abatan River in Cortes on Monday morning.

Victim Jerson Napoles, a 25-year-old resident of Brgy.Poblacion, Cortes, was found dead several hours after his brother saw him submerge into the murky water of the Abatan.

Napoles was reportedly left behind by the banca which was used by his brother, but decided to go after the boat by swimming.

Based on initial police investigation, Napoles’ brother was too late in noticing the victim’s attempt to catch up.

Napoles was already drowning as he was seen waving his arms in despair when his brother looked back.

The Coast Guard and Tarsier 117 personnel arrived a few minutes after the incident to conduct a rescue operation but were apparently too late.

Cortes police chief Insp. Dominie Ragusta said that the Coast Guard conducted an almost daylong search operation but failed to retrieve Napoles’ body due to heavy presence of mud in the water.

Napoles’ lifeless body was reportedly found after it surfaced at around 11 p.m. on the same day.

Following its discovery, Napoles’ body was immediately sent to the funeral parlor. (Allen Doydora)

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