Two drown in water well

By Glazyl Y. Masculino

BACOLOD City – Two persons died after they drowned in a water well at Sitio Syding, Barangay Minapasuk, Calatrava, Negros Occidental last Saturday.

Police identified the victims as Joemar Trencio, 32, and his friend Roniel Amaro, 24, both residents of the said village.

Major Ronald Santillan, newly-designated town police chief, said Trencio went down the well first to clean the pit when he suffered shortness of breath.

Amaro called Trencio out but the latter was already unresponsive. Amaro followed down to rescue him, but he also suffocated.

Both fell into the water in the 20-feet deep well and drowned, according to Santillan.

Santillan said their neighbors called for help but it took several hours to retrieve their bodies from the well.

He also said that the family opted not to bring the victims to the hospital nor called for the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO) because they all believed that the victims were already dead.

He said that the victims were not equipped with safety gear.