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62-year-old drowns off Managaha
A 62-year-old Chinese male drowned in the waters off Managaha Island last Tuesday.
Department of Fire and Emergency Management Services said Zhang Shizhao was pronounced dead 12:06pm Tuesday at the Commonwealth Health Center after resuscitation efforts to revive him failed.
DFEMS received a call from DPS 911 reporting an ambulance was needed for a possible drowning patient en route from Managaha Island.
At 11:42am Medic-2 and Engine-2 from the Garapan Fire Station and Rescue-1 from the Susupe Fire Station were dispatched. DFEMS EMTs made contact with the patient at 11:52am at the Smiling Cove Marina.
DFEMS EMTs came upon a Managaha lifeguard staff preforming CPR (Cardio pulmonary resuscitation) on the 62-year-old Chinese male. On assessment by the EMTs, the patient was found pulseless and was not breathing. EMTs opened Zhang’s airway and performed CPR on scene and continued CPR in the ambulance until reaching CHC-ER at 11:57am.
Upon arriving at CHC the EMTs transferred the Zhang into the CHC-Trauma room where ER staff took over until they stopped resuscitation efforts and the patient was pronounced deceased by Dr. Nick Villalon.
According the victim’s son, he along with his mother and father, went swimming inside the Managaha Island swimming zone area close to the lifeguard’s station. They went into waist-deep water, were all wearing life jackets, and began snorkeling.
The son says he and his mother tried to pull his father to shore when his mask came off and he began coughing. By the time they reached the shore his father had lost consciousness and they began to call for help. The victim’s son said his father had a heart bypass four years ago and he was using a pacemaker.
