Tragic accident: 18-yr.-old student drowns after motorcycle plunged in irrigation canal

Tabuk City, Kalinga - The body of an 18-year-old student was retrieved 3.15 am today at the irrigation canal in Bakras, Purok 7, Bulanao after hours of search and rescue by authorities.

Initial information from the Tabuk City police revealed that two female students in the city ages 18 and 19 years got involved in a road accident past 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, October 10.

The 19-year-old back rider told investigators that they came from a business establishment in Purok 5 and was heading towards another establishment near the SAF headquarters. While they were on their way, however, the 18-year-old rider lost control of the motorcycle. It is believed that she miscalculated the curve part of the road, sending her and her passenger straight to the irrigation canal in Bakras.

Bystanders was able to rescue the 19-year-old passenger who is a resident of Bayao, Pinukpuk but currently staying in a boarding house at Purok 6, Bulanao .

The 18-year-old motorcycle driver who is a resident of Nambaran, meantime, did not make it and was found lifeless around 3:15 a.m. of October 11.

The search and rescue teams who retrieved the student were composed of the Special Action Force, Bureau of Fire Protection, the City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office, and volunteers.