Man drowns in Rota
A 33-year-old resident of Rota who went reef fishing with two of his friends drowned when strong current swept him into the open sea, the Department of Public Safety reported yesterday.
DPS received the complete report yesterday about the incident that took place on the island last Jan. 10.
Francisco B. Manglona, Pio Quitugua and Anthony Barcinas started fishing at 9 a.m. that day at Mochong Beach and headed south up to Makaka Beach.
According to Quitugua, the water started to get rough when they reached Makaka Beach so they decided to swim back to the shore but as they reached the Tutgua channel, they were separated by the strong current.
While entering the channel, Quitugua related that he was pulled out by heavy waves and that’s the time he saw the victim, Manglona, who got hit by the waves and started shouting for help.
A boat that was at the area when the incident occurred rescued Quitugua and Barcinas. They were met by DPS personnel who immediately rushed to the scene to assist the victims.
Quitugua immediately informed the police that Manglona was missing. An underwater and surface search was conducted with the assistance of volunteer divers.
During the underwater search, the body of Manglona was found. He was immediately transported to the marina and taken to the Rota Health Center where he was pronounced dead at 6:29 p.m.
