WESTERN BUREAU:
TWO MALE tourists - one British and an American - died almost four hours apart in unrelated circumstances on Sunday in Montego Bay, St. James.
They have been identified as 26-year-old Bret Mundane, of a Blackpool address in England, and Paul Brown, 58, of Encenita, California. Mundane drowned at the Holiday Inn Sunspree Resort beach while Brown was found dead in his hotel room.
Up to press time, details concerning Mundane and Brown's travel arrangements to and from the country were not available.
The police reports are that at 12:15 p.m. Mundane and his girlfriend, Melissa Walsh, went for walk on the hotel's property and he decided to go for a swim. It is said that while the couple was in the water, Mundane complained of feeling tired and then got into difficulties. Attempts by Walsh to assist him were futile. An alarm was raised, but Mundane drowned before he could be rescued. His body was later retrieved from the water.
The Constabulary Communication Network (CCN) told The Gleaner that, at the time of the incident, the hotel did not have any lifeguards at the beach as all water sports activities were suspended. Their decision was in keeping with the Meteorological Service's advisory on Friday, that the island had been placed on a weather alert. The watch was placed on Jamaica following heavy showers and thunderstorms, expected to last until Sunday afternoon.
A few hours later, Brown was found lying face down in his hotel room at the Coyaba Beach Hotel about 4 p.m. The reports are that he was last seen alive on Saturday afternoon sometime after 4 p.m., when a housekeeper went to give him some towels. When Brown was not seen on Sunday, his room was checked and his body was found. He was pronounced dead at the MoBay Hope Medical Centre, at the Half Moon Shopping Village. There was no sign of foul play.
His body was later removed to the Delapenha's Funeral home, where it is awaiting a post-mortem examination. The Coral Gardens police are investigating the two deaths.
