DROWNING INCIDENT: Body of 13-yr.-old boy taken by Patulao River in Kiangan found in LAMUT

A 13-year-old boy reported missing after drowning in Patulao River along Barangay Hucab of Kiangan, Ifugao, was found dead on Tuesday morning, April 8, in the nearby town of Lamut.

Morning on Sunday, the victim, identified as Christen Lenard Banguid, a resident of Hucab, Kiangan, went swimming in the river with his friends.

When noon neared, Banguid was said to have dived into the whirlpool area and was not able to resurface. One of his companions tried saving him but failed, prompting the others to call for help from nearby residents and then later to authorities, who immediately launched search operations.

The remains of the victim were finally recovered at around 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday along the Hapid Irrigation System in Barangay Bimpal of Lamut, Ifugao, through the joint efforts of police officers, firefighters, and personnel of disaster and risk reduction management from municipal and provincial offices of Ifugao.

The boy is set to be laid to rest on Friday.

Meanwhile, Kiangan MDRRMO Anne Grace Dumangeng advised the youth to avoid swimming in deep waters as river currents and the depth can at times be deceiving.