Monday, November 06, 2006
3 confirmed killed by flood in Talisay; 2 remain missing
TWO bodies were retrieved by rescuers over the weekend, bringing to three the number of those killed when a flashflood swept away 12 young men in Talisay City’s Candulawan River last Saturday.
The Cebu City Disaster Coordinating Council (CCDCC) said that at least one more, identified as Michael Dipay of Sitio Tugas, Cogon Pardo, Cebu City, remains missing.
Candulawan Barangay Captain Josephina Concial, though, said that aside from Dipay, they are also trying to locate a certain Marvin Tero.
As of yesterday afternoon, Philippine Air Force personnel scoured the river and its outlets to the sea in Barangay Inayawan, Cebu City.
CCDCC’s William Miro identified the retrieved bodies as that of Josefino C. Bacus Jr., 19, a fourth year high school student from Barangay Cogon Pardo, Cebu City; and Jero G. Tan, 17, of Sitio Sario, Barangay Bulacao, Cebu City.
Bacus was found at 9:40 p.m. Saturday, in a creek in White Road, Inayawan, by a joint rescue team from the Talisay Emergency Action Team led by City Health Officer Lino Alanzado, the Central Visayas Office of the Civil Defense and the Bureau of Fire Protection led by Insp. Felipe Canillas.
The same team earlier retrieved the body of Paul John (not John Paul as earlier reported) C. Lamprea, 18, also of Sitio Tugas, at 7:30 p.m. in the same creek. The victim is a first year University of Cebu student.
Both Bacus and Lamprea suffered injuries to the head. Rescuers also noted bruises on Bacus’ body.
Concial, though, was not sure if Bacus was part of the group, saying he was not in the list that the survivors gave her.
At 6:30 a.m., yesterday, CCDCC rescuers led by Miro and Inayawan Barangay Captain Warlito Jaca found Tan’s body.
Tan had injuries in the head and body. His and Bacus’ remains were brought to St. Francis Funeral Homes for autopsy.
In an interview, Miro said they found Tan’s body in the area near radio dyHP’s transmitter.
“Naputos sa lapok ang lawas. Grabe’g bun-og ang ulo (The body had mud all over, aside from severe head injuries),” he said.
Miro said they found Tan when his head bobbed up after they disturbed with sticks a pool of floodwater in the creek. His team stayed in Inayawan until midnight yesterday to look for the missing victims.
Concial said the Talisay City Rescue Action Team and rescuers from Barangays Bulacao in Talisay City, Bulacao in Cebu City and Inayawan and are looking closely along the riverbanks in case Tero and Dipay got stuck there.
Another group is trailing the river from White Road upward to Candulawan.
Miro said three survivors he interviewed Saturday night told him that they just went swimming in the river at 3 p.m. that day.
An old woman warned them not to because the sky upriver was dark, which means it was raining in the mountains that time, Miro said, quoting the three.
The victims, he added, did not expect that raging waters would rush down and carry them away.
Those who were immediately rescued from the sudden flood were Jiboy Gabuya, 22; cousins Arnel, 15, and Jenus, 21, both surnamed Cabaluna; Ardia Abarquel; Arnel Badayos, 20; Ritchie Gaboy; and Ronie Berbayado.
Initials report had it that the young men were in the river to hold hazing rites for a fraternity.
But Concial said they could not confirm the information because they were told that the boys were in the area just to bathe.
Concial said that even if it doesn’t rain in their place, bathing in the river is still dangerous because rainwater from the mountains always surges downstream.
She said the young men were in the Ilaya pool, the last point of the river 300 meters from the barangay hall.
“Dili man sad gud nato mabantayan pirmi kay tulo man gud ang agi-anan didto (We cannot keep watch all the time because the area can be reached from three directions),” she said.
Those who want to take a dip in the pool can pass through Pardo, Cebu City and Sitio Mahayahay and Sitio Centro in Candulawan. (MEA/JST/RHM)
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (November 6, 2006 issue)
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