More on the tragic drowning

The following story ran in today's newspaper about the drowning incident on Tinian:

Saipan Tribune, Saturday, January 03, 2009

Another tourist drowns
Victim reportedly fell from Tinian cliff line

By Ferdie de la TorreReporter

A Korean tourist drowned after falling from the cliff line at Dump Coke, a fishing area on Tinian, Tuesday night, according to the Department of Public Safety yesterday.

Hoseung Joung, 29, was transported to the Tinian Health Center where he was pronounced dead at 11:25pm due to fluid in the lungs.

DPS spokesperson Lei Ogumoro said yesterday that on Tuesday at 9:38pm, Tinian DPS received a report of an individual who fell into the ocean from a cliff near the Dump Coke area.

Ogumoro said a preliminary investigation showed that three tour guide agents picked up Joung and seven other Korean tourists from Tinian Dynasty at 5:30pm that day.

The tour guide agents brought Joung and seven companions to Dump Coke to go cliff line fishing. At 7pm, the group had dinner and some of them were drinking alcohol.

Before returning to Tinian Dynasty, witnesses noticed that Joung was nowhere to be found.

Several of the witnesses went looking for Joung and later found him floating face down in the ocean near the cliff line.

After Tinian police were notified, Tinian Boating Safety officers responded and picked up the victim.

Ogumoro said the case was forwarded to the Office of the Attorney General for further investigation.

Last Dec. 23, a Japanese tourist drowned while swimming with his daughter at Micro Beach in Garapan, Saipan.

Last Nov. 22, a fishing boat crew member reportedly drowned when he fell into the ocean near the island of Guguan

*****
I'm sure there will always be questions... but since no one actually saw what happened, it may forever remain a mystery.