Tourist found dead with arm ripped off after shark attack - as another diver drowns after losing scuba group
28 February 2025, 08:38
Two tourists died while scuba diving in the Philippines after being swept away from their diving group.
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The Russian divers were caught in strong undercurrents and lost the rest of their dive group. One is believed to have drowned and the other was found being attacked by sharks, with his right arm severed.
Two other divers and their instructor managed to swim to safety, the Philippine coast guard said.
Coast guard provincial commander Airland Lapitan said the four Russian tourists, accompanied by their Filipino dive instructor, had sailed by boat from the town of Puerto Galera in the Oriental Mindoro province to the waters around Verde Island.
While they were exploring, strong undercurrents swept them off path, separating them from their boat.
Two of the divers did not make their way back to the surface. They were named as Ilia Peregudin, 29, and Maksim Melekhov, 39.
Melekhov was found floating unconscious in the water. He was taken to a hospital in Batangas where doctors attempted to revive him but he was declared dead.
“The other Russian diver was found while being attacked by sharks,” Mr Lapitan was quoted as saying by Associated Press news agency.
“His right arm, unfortunately, had been severed and the sharks were moving around him. They somehow managed to pull him away.”
Authorities are investigating.
