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Three rescue tourist from drowning on Mañagaha
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Posted on Feb 05 2014
An English teacher and two other persons rescued a male tourist from drowning on Managaha Island Tuesday at noon.
John Cole, 61, told Saipan Tribune yesterday that he was able to revive the tourist using CPR with the help of another man and a woman.
The victim, described by Cole as a Chinese male, about 20-30 years old, was taken to the Commonwealth Health Center.
Department of Public Safety spokesman Travis Hurst confirmed that the victim is a Chinese male and disclosed that when the ambulance arrived at CHC, the tourist was conscious and was admitted overnight for observation.
Hurst said he has no update on the victim’s condition as of yesterday.
Cole said the incident happened at 12 to 12:15pm in the back side of Managaha in waters that were about 6 to 8 feet deep.
He said he and his girlfriend were swimming on the west back side of the island when he noticed on his right side ahead of him a man and a woman holding up another person. He said the man had been snorkeling and was found floating face down.
Cole swam toward them and helped the two persons bring the victim to shore.
Once there, the man and the woman help Cole in applying CPR on the victim. Cole said that after pumping the man’s chest twice, water gushed out of the victim’s mouth. The victim then started breathing heavily.
Lifeguards arrived and placed the victim on a stretcher and brought him on a boat toward Smiling Cove, where an ambulance took him to CHC.
Cole said he phoned CHC late Tuesday afternoon to check on the victim’s condition, but was told by a staff at the emergency room that they could not tell him about the victim’s condition. Cole said he just wanted to know if they indeed saved the life of the tourist.
Cole, a native of California, learned CPR when he joined the U.S. Navy for four years as a radioman. He worked in Japan for 20 years and moved to Saipan last Nov. 22.
