Boy found dead after flood sweeps away motorcycle in Bukidnon

VALENCIA CITY, Bukidnon — A 12-year-old boy who was swept away by rampaging floodwaters while crossing a spillway with his father and six-year-old brother on board a motorcycle was found dead Tuesday morning.

This developed as rescuers continued searching for the missing sibling.The body of the boy was recovered along the Katipunan River in Sitio Sadiri, Barangay Dagat-Kidavao here, a day after he and his younger brother were carried away by strong currents triggered by heavy rains on Monday.

READ: NDRRMC: 22 dead, 18 missing due to Inday, habagatJune Ray Valero, City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO) chief, confirmed that the victim was one of the two children swept away after the motorcycle they were riding with their father was washed away while attempting to cross the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) spillway near the boundary of Barangay Dagat-Kidavao in Valencia City and Barangay Lumintao in Quezon, Bukidnon at around 4 p.m. Monday.Valero said the family was traveling from Barangay Little Baguio in San Fernando, Bukidnon, to visit the children’s grandmother in Barangay Lumintao, Quezon, when they attempted to cross the spillway despite rising water caused by moderate to heavy rains.“The motorcycle was overpowered by the strong current, causing all three to be swept away,” Valero said.Residents immediately responded by throwing ropes into the floodwaters, successfully rescuing the father.However, the two children were carried downstream by the powerful current.

READ: 2 boys drown in Bataan riverValero said search and retrieval operations are ongoing for the six-year-old boy, with responders from the Valencia City and Quezon municipal DRRM offices, along with barangay volunteers, scouring the waterways in boats and other rescue equipment.Charmane Lumayno, a kagawad of Barangay Dagat-Kidavao, said the children’s mother is currently working overseas, while their father had brought them to Lumintao to visit their grandmother.Family members identified the older child’s body after it was found entangled in a large tree debris along the Katipunan river.Authorities said persistent moderate to heavy rains caused creeks and rivers in the interior barangays of Laligan, Maapag, Dagat-Kidavao and nearby areas of Quezon town to overflow, resulting in dangerous currents and flooding.The CDRRMO again urged the public to avoid crossing flooded rivers, spillways, and irrigation structures during heavy rains, warning that rapidly rising water levels can quickly become life-threatening./coa

Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.

Your subscription has been successful.