Dauin: Search and rescue (SAR) operations for a missing British national in Dauin, Negros Oriental will continue on Thursday after initial efforts on Wednesday yielded negative results. Lt. Marionne Abigail Enopia, Coast Guard Negros Oriental station commander, told the Philippine News Agency that Mark David Morris, 44, was reported missing at 8 a.m. to the Dauin police by his wife, 42-year-old Emily Tan Fern, a Singapore resident.

According to Philippines News Agency, Coast Guard personnel in Dauin and Zamboanguita, along with the municipal disaster risk reduction and management office (DRRMO), initiated a search early Wednesday after receiving reports of the missing person. Despite extensive efforts, SAR teams were unable to locate Morris in the waters of Dauin and its neighboring towns.

Emily Tan Fern informed the police that her husband had contacted a local friend, Martin Sardilla, indicating his plan to go free diving alone. He reportedly left their rented apartment while she was asleep on Tuesday afternoon and went to the beach fronting the Lalao Beach Resort in Poblacion District 1 in Dauin.

The Coast Guard chief reported that the scuba diving gear belonging to Morris was not found at their residence, raising questions about his diving plans. Enopia stated that they are still investigating whether the British national actually went diving or ventured elsewhere, as there are no witnesses to confirm his entry into the water.

Local and foreign divers, along with Dauin residents, conducted three dives and coastal searches but found no trace of Morris. The Coast Guard's Special Operations Unit is set to join the regular personnel and DRRMO on Thursday to continue searching for the missing individual.