Tourist found dead in jaws of shark and another found drowned after being swept away from group while scuba diving

Two tourists were the victims of a brutal shark attack off the coast of Verde Island, Batangas province, Philippines, on Thursday 27 February.

Russian tourists, Ilia Peregudin, 29, and Maksim Melekhov, 39, were part of a diving group that had travelled to the area to experience its marine life and range of corals, and swam near the sea floor to take in everything the environment had to offer.

There were four tourists in total, all from Russia, with one local dive instructor.

After observing schools of fish making their way around the reefs, all five of them were reportedly swept away by powerful undercurrents.

The bodies were eventually recovered (ViralPress)

The currents were said to bring them towards some sharks, and while two of the tourists resurfaced with the diving instructor and made their way back to the diving boat, Ilia and Maksim were not as fortunate.

They went missing, and a search was launched by coast guard members and other divers in the area, Philippine coast guard provincial commander Capt. Airland Lapitan told AP.

The Philippine coast guard arrived on the scene after the emergency call at 1pm.

Chilling underwater photos shows the scene just moments before the dievrs were attacked by sharks.

The scene moment before the attack took place (ViralPress)

Maksim would be found one hour later, floating face-down and unconscious in choppy waters, with crew calling for first aid.

He was be declared dead in Saint Patrick Hospital in Batangas, Lapitan said.

The commander then revealed: “The other Russian diver [Ilia] was found while being attacked by sharks.

“His right arm, unfortunately, had been severed and the sharks were moving around him.”

He added that 'they somehow managed to pull him away.'

He too, would be declared dead.

Authorities have stated that an investigation into the incident, with officials set to come up with ways to stop similar tragedies from happening in the area.

The coast guard found both bodies, but it was too late (ViralPress)

Lapitan further explained what they suspect happened: "There was a strong current, and the group were separated.

"Two of them who were with the master diver were able to return to their boat, but the other two failed to resurface."

He went on: "We had a difficult time recovering one of the divers because there were sharks circling around the body.

"We believe the individual was attacked by sharks because their right hand was missing."

Diego Reyes is a local that dived with the tourists, calling the incident 'overwhelming and traumatising' and that he too felt the strong currents in the water.

"It was really challenging to get back with the group once you got separated," he admitted.

He concluded: "I hope authorities would be able to figure out what really happened to them. Thank you Lord for keeping our group safe. Rest in peace to the Russian divers."