By CESAR JOLITO III

A 59-year-old fisherman from Negros Occidental’s Valladolid town, who went missing after allegedly being struck by lightning while at sea, was found dead on Inampulogan Island in Guimaras on Thursday morning, June 18.

Dennis Gegonia was discovered lifeless at around 11:00 a.m. after a coordinated search and rescue operation.

Valladolid police said Gegonia went missing on Wednesday night, June 17, while working near a fish cage in the middle of the sea.

Authorities said he was allegedly struck by lightning while climbing the structure.

It was believed that Gegonia fell into the water, prompting his companion to attempt a search but failing due to strong sea conditions and limited visibility at night.

The following morning, personnel from the Bantay Dagat and other responding authorities launched a search and rescue operation after receiving information that a body had been spotted off Guimaras waters.

Upon retrieval, officials confirmed that the remains were indeed those of Gegonia./CCJ, WDJ