Officials from the Taiwanese Representative Office in the Philippines was at the scene of the death of a Taiwanese tourist in the Philippines to help family members handle the matter, as well as to clarify the cause of death, Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Anna Kao (高安) said yesterday.
According to the ministry, the office received an emergency call at 1:30pm yesterday, informing it that a Taiwanese national had passed away in Palawan province while visiting beaches.
Kao said that the office had immediately sought further information on the incident after the call, adding that the office was also cooperating with the deceased’s family in the handling of his affairs.
According to sources, the deceased tourist, surnamed Yeh (葉), was visiting the island province on a five-day tour with a group and was accompanied by his wife and two children.
The sources also said that he was not feeling well before entering the water.
Although initial reports speculated that Yeh drowned, the office rejected the idea, because he had been given emergency medical treatment for another condition before being sent to the hospital, adding that the cause of the incident has yet to be determined.
However, other reports by media outlets in the Philippines suggested that Yeh might have passed away because of heart failure.
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