Two Russian tourists were reportedly killed in a shark attack while diving near Verde Island in the Philippines on February 27, 2025, according to the report in the packet.

The source identifies the men as Ilia Peregudin, 29, and Maksim Melekhov, 39. It says they were diving in an area off Verde Island known for strong currents and marine life when they were carried away from their group. The report adds that two other divers were able to return to the boat, while the two victims did not resurface.

The packet says the Philippine Coast Guard was told the divers encountered a strong current and were separated. It also says one body was difficult to recover because sharks were circling around it, and that one victim was found unconscious at sea and pronounced dead on arrival at hospital in Batangas. Those details paint a chaotic scene, but they still come from the source’s account and should be treated as reported, not independently verified here.

The article should avoid turning the account into a definitive forensic conclusion beyond what the source supports. The report says the right hand of one victim was missing and that this led officials to believe a shark attack had occurred. It also notes that the divers had been swept into an area where sharks were resurfacing. That is enough to report the alleged attack, but not enough to establish every circumstance with scientific certainty.

The source includes a local resident, Diego Reyes, who said the currents and waves were strong and that it was difficult to get back with the group once separated. His account reinforces the danger of the location on that day, but the article should still distinguish between eyewitness recollection and confirmed official finding.

Because the packet relies on one source, the safest framing is that two Russian tourists were reportedly killed after being separated by a current while diving near Verde Island, and that authorities believed sharks were involved. The report does not give a final inquest result, and it does not say whether local officials issued any wider safety warning after the deaths.

The verified facts are tragic enough on their own: two divers dead, one body hard to recover, and a dangerous current in a popular diving area off Batangas. Everything beyond that should remain out of the story until independently confirmed.","authorByline":"IO Digest Desk","editorialNotes":"Event date: 2025-02-27. Single-source dive fatality report; attribution to sharks is reported, not independently confirmed.