TWO teenage girls drowned in a swamp Saturday noon, September 23, at Sitio Vito in Camindangan Village, Sipalay City.
The fatalities were identified as Lovely Mae Apas and her friend Regine Baynosa, both 13, who are residents of Sitio Lagundi in the same village.
Apas’s brother Alex, 15, also nearly drowned.
Severo Hablado, head of the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO), said the three went to the nearby sitio to harvest peanuts.
He added that since the peanut plantation is near the swamp, they decided to swim.
“The victims were not able to estimate the depth of the water, which has increased due to heavy rains the other day,” Hablado said, adding that even other areas in Sipalay were flooded on Friday.
The male Apas was able to swim towards the shore. He then asked for help from the nearby residents.
It took almost an hour to find the two victims because the mud-like water was so deep.
The survivor was brought to Merceditas J. Montilla District Hospital.