AUTHORITIES recovered the body of a 12-year-old boy on Monday, July 20, ending a two-day search after he reportedly drowned in the Davao River while swimming in Barangay 76-A, Bucana.
The Davao City Police Office (DCPO) said the boy's body was found around 1:20 p.m. at SIR Phase I, Purok 54, Castro, Bangkal, Barangay 76-A.
Police said the victim's father was informed that his son had drowned while swimming in the Bucana River. The incident was reported to the Ecoland Police Station, which immediately launched a search and rescue operation.
"The recovered body was subsequently turned over to the Scene of the Crime Operatives (Soco) of the Davao City Forensic Unit (DCFU) for crime scene processing and the conduct of the appropriate postmortem examination," DCPO said in a report.
Police said investigators continue to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident. Soco coordinated with the Davao City Forensic Unit to process the scene and conduct a forensic examination.
The Coast Guard Station Davao and Coast Guard Sub-Station Poblacion joined the search and rescue operation that began on July 18 after reports that the boy fell into the river while playing along the dike.
The Coast Guard conducted the operation in coordination with Central 911 and the Philippine National Police.
Earlier, DCPO said the drowning incident occurred around 4:15 p.m. Saturday along SIR Phase I in Barangay 76-A.
The boy was reportedly playing and swimming with his siblings and a friend when they saw him struggling in the water and shouting for help before he disappeared beneath the surface.
Authorities responded immediately, but initial search efforts failed to locate the child until his body was recovered on Monday afternoon. RGP
