The governor’s office and the Guam Fire Department are insisting that at least two swimmers, who were caught in rough waters and are now presumed dead, did not lose their lives because of Typhoon Mawar.

Krystal Paco-San Agustin, the governor’s director of communications, told The Guam Daily Post the deaths “are not typhoon related” in response to inquiries on whether Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero would be providing a condolence message to the swimmers’ families.

According to information released by GFD, firefighters responded to two separate calls for distressed swimmers last week.

The first, GFD reported, stemmed from two men who went swimming toward Alupang Island around 2 p.m. Wednesday, when they eventually were swept out to sea by large waves.

One of the men was unable to pull his companion from the rough waters, and eventually remained on the small offshore island through the duration of Mawar. He was only able to report the emergency when he reached the shore Thursday.

The second search also began Thursday, following reports of six distressed swimmers, all males between 16 and 19, in the Hågat Marina channel.

GFD said the teens were swept out of the marina by strong currents, but three were able to make it back to shore.

The fourth was rescued safely, while a fifth was retrieved pulseless and breathless and transported to a hospital, according to GD. The sixth, still missing, prompted the search to continue.

Both searches were eventually called off without either swimmer being rescued or their body being recovered. GFD has not released an updated status of the teen sent to the hospital.

Waters off of Guam were in dangerous conditions due to the typhoon, according to the Joint Information Center, which Paco-San Agustin helps manage.

On Thursday, when the Hågat swimmers were in distress, the JIC reported “dangerous surf persists along western and northern coastlines due to a large swell generated by Mawar.”

It advised residents to remain out of the water due to “life-threatening conditions.”

But Paco-San Agustin told the Post the information did not mean the deaths were related to the typhoon, because the swimmers were swept out “pre and post landfall” of the typhoon.

‘A conscious decision’

Kevin Reilly, GFD spokesperson, echoed the position in a group chat with island media Sunday.

“Just to clarify the GFD responses to the missing swimmers at both Hagåtña and Hågat. Neither were storm related; one was prior to and the other was post Typhoon Mawar,” he said.

The Post, once again, referred to information released by JIC warning residents of the dangerous marine conditions caused by the typhoon, including this message released on Friday:

“A high risk of rip currents is in effect through Saturday afternoon and can sweep even the best swimmers away from the shore into deeper water.”

Reilly made distinctions between the swimmers’ situations and other possible injuries from Mawar.

“They were pulled out by hazardous currents and sea conditions prior to and after the storm. It was a conscious decision to go into the water,” he said. “Getting hit by flying debris or a tree falling on you during the storm is a ‘direct result from’ (the typhoon).”

For his part, Sen. Chris Barnett, the Legislature’s chair for the committee on public safety, offered his sympathies to the families of those lost at sea.

“My deepest condolences and prayers go out to the families during this heartbreaking and impossibly difficult time,” he told the Post. “Although Typhoon Mawar has passed, it’s clear the storm’s devastating effects will leave a lasting impact on our island and our people - most especially on the families who have suffered the loss of loved ones gone too soon.”

0
0
1
3
4

Recommended for you