Man drowns in Pasig River

A 24-year-old man allegedly drowned when he took a dip in the murky waters of Pasig River after downing three bottles of beer, a belated police report showed.

The body of Arnel Bronches, a resident of Calamba. Laguna, was fished out by the crew of Philippine Coast Guard tugboat after it surfaced near the mouth of the Pasig River in Binondo, Manila the other morning.

The body bore no signs of external injury.

Senior Police Officer 3 Virgo Villareal said Bronches was seen drinking with two other men at the Peter Paul compound in Pandacan, Manila past midnight Wednesday.

Witnesses told police that after downing three bottles of beer, Bronches decided to take a dip in the nearby river. Moments later, witnesses saw Bronches waving his hands as he sank. He failed to surface, according to his friends.

Villareal said Bronches could have suffered cramps and drowned. However, police are still conducting further investigation to determine if there was foul play involved in Bronches’ death.   – Nestor Etolle