MANILA: Two Russian divers were found dead, one in the jaws of a shark, after a strong current separated them from their group in a popular Philippine scuba spot, a coast guard official said Friday.
Four Russian men aged 18 to 57 were diving Thursday afternoon near the resort area of Batangas on the main island of Luzon when they and their dive master were pulled apart by the current, coast guard district chief Airland Lapitan said.
While three of the group were able to surface and return to the boat, the others were found by rescuers hours later, according to Lapitan, who said the first man discovered was pronounced dead on arrival at a local hospital.
“The other one was found at about 4-5:30 p.m. (0800-0930 GMT Friday) and retrieved around 5-6 p.m.,” he said. “When the rescuers found him, he was being pulled by a shark. He was eventually retrieved but his arm was missing.”
It was unclear if the man had been killed by the shark or was already dead, Lapitan said, as the bodies were turned over to family members without an autopsy.
Shark attacks in the waters around the Philippines are exceedingly rare, with none recorded in at least a year, according to a global database.
The Russian embassy did not immediately respond to a request for comment.