Manila - Two Chinese tourists drowned while scuba diving in the central Philippines, police said Monday.

The victims - Pang Chi Lung, 44, and Cheung Joanne Wai, 28 - were with four other tourists during the dive off Olango Island, Cebu province, 585 kilometres south of Manila, on Sunday.

But Pang and Cheung failed to surface after 30 minutes, a police report said.

The other divers went back for the two missing tourists, but failed to locate them.

The bodies of the victims were later found floating a few metres away from the dive spot, the police report said.

The two were rushed to a nearby hospital, but were declared dead on arrival.

Police said Pang and Cheung arrived in Cebu with a tour group on March 6 and were already on their last dive before ending their vacation when the accident happened.

Olango Island is a favourite dive spot in Cebu. It has one of the deepest dives along a coral wall in the central Philippines. (dpa)