BY: ANGELICA ARQUERO
A family outing in Abra turned tragic on Black Saturday after a 9-year-old girl drowned in a river in Barangay Gayaman, Luba.
According to the investigation by the Luba Municipal Police Station, the child accidentally wandered into a deep portion of the river at around 11 AM while swimming with other children.
Police Staff Sergeant Efrin Dakiwas Adalan, investigator of Luba MPS, said it was one of the children who alerted the others about the incident.
“After a few minutes of swimming, the other children began shouting that the girl had drowned. That’s when the others rushed to help,” Adalan said.
Initial reports revealed that the child had drifted around 30 meters away from the riverbank before her relatives noticed her disappearance.
It took around 30 minutes before the incident was discovered.
“The river has deep areas, and based on history, drowning incidents have occurred there before,” Adalan added.
The girl was immediately rushed to a hospital but was declared dead on arrival.
Authorities reminded the public to be cautious and aware of the dangers in the area, especially during vacations.
This is the first recorded drowning incident in the river this year.
