Anthony Vargas
AN elderly physician and a dive club president reportedly drowned on Tuesday morning after his group encountered difficulties while exploring an underwater cave in a remote village in Surigao del Sur, police reports said on Thursday.
Reports to the Philippine National Police national operations Center in Camp Crame identified the victim as Dr. Alfonso Amores alias “Doc Boy”, 67, the president of the Filipino Cave Divers Association and resident of Gon-ob, Lapu-lapu City.
Investigation revealed that Amores along with two others identified as Lyndon Cubillan and driver Jaime Lapac, a dive instructor, went down at about 8 a.m. on Tuesday to explore the Cave of the Enchanted River at Brgy. Talisay in Hinatuan, Surigao del Sur, the reports said.
The three were able to reach the cave but encountered very strong current that swept Amores. His two companions managed to get out of the cave.
The reports said Amores’s body was still in the cave and awaiting the retrieval dive team from Surigao City, while elements of the Hinatuan police station are securing the area for search and retrieval operation.