A 63-year-old Canadian national died after allegedly suffering a heart attack while swimming in waters off Pamilacan Island in Baclayon on Monday afternoon.
The fatality, identified as Benoit Labrosse, a retired aviation services officer in Canada who was temporarily staying at resort in Barangay Pamilacan, was still rushed to a hospital but was declared dead on arrival.
According to PO3 Warren Hondanero of the Baclayon Police Station, Labrosse was not immediately spotted by his companions as he was snorkeling behind a banca.
Labrosse started snorkeling at 5 p.m. and a few minutes later, was spotted by his friend, Serge Lemoges, as he was already motionless while floating, said Hondanero.
Lemoges took Labrosse’s body to shore and applied cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) but the latter was unresponsive.
Hondanero said that Labrosse was taken to mainland Baclayon but he was declared dead on arrival by the town’s municipal health officer.
Authorities were about to subject Labrosse’s body to an autopsy but his family refused, Hondadero added. (AD)