A 20-year-old man drowned while swimming with his siblings in a dam in Tubigon town at past 2 p.m. on Sunday.

Joelito Cutora, rescue team leader of the Tubigon Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO), said victim Ariel Sioco of Tubigon town was trying to go after a monitor lizard which dove into the water when he drowned.

Sioco along with his siblings were standing on a makeshift raft while fishing in the National Irrigation Administration dam before diving into the water to try to catch the reptile but Sioco was unable to resurface.

“Namukot ni sila unja nakakita ni sila og hawo na ni dung sa tubig, ilang gilangoy kay dakpon unta pero kadtong biktima according sa iyang mga isguon dili kaayo hanas mo langoy, mao to wa na niya makaya pagbalik sa daplin,” said Cutora.

Sioco barely knew how to swim, his siblings who were with him during the incident, told authorities.

According to Cutora, Sioco’s siblings tried to look for him first before reporting the incident.

Sioco was last spotted at past 2 p.m. but the authorities were alerted of the incident at 4 p.m.

The MDRRMO and the Philippine Coast Guard immediately deployed rescue teams which found Sioco underwater 30 minutes after they started search operations.

One of the rescuers administered cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) but Sioco was unresponsive. prompting authorities to rush him to a hospital.

He was however declared dead on arrival.

According to Cutora, the dam is not a known leisure swimming destination but the public is not barred from dipping into the water or fish in the area. (A. Doydora)