Missing girl found dead in Albay river
By Ephraim Aguilar
Southern Luzon Bureau
First Posted 16:38:00 05/16/2008
LEGAZPI CITY, Philippines -- After nine hours of search, the body of a 10-year-old girl who drowned in a swollen river in Polangui, Albay was found Thursday noon, the Philippine Navy reported Friday morning.
Ensign Elmer Sumunod, acting spokesman of the Naval Forces Southern Luzon, said the body of Ma. Sarah Penolia of the village of Kinale was found in the Sta. Cruz river in the neighboring Libon town, east of Polangui.
He said the body did not float and Navy divers found it bloated but submerged in the river. Penolia was last seen by her family on Tuesday.
Equipped with a rubber boat and diving gear, the Navy team had to temporarily stop its retrieval operations on Wednesday because of bad weather.
Due to possible heavy rains induced by tropical storms "Cosme" and "Dindo," Cedric Daep, executive officer of the Albay provincial disaster coordinating council warned people living in landslide- and flood-prone areas to be alert and prepared.
He said the PDCC identified 127 villages with around 4,000 families to be at risk to floods and landslides.
As of 2 a.m. Friday, "Cosme" was detected at 395 kilometers west of Calapan City, Oriental Mindoro with maximum winds of 65 kilometers per hour near the center and gustiness of up to 80 kilometers per hour. It is forecast to move north at 7 kilometers per hour.
Tropical storm "Dindo" was estimated at 680 kilometers east northeast of Basco, Batanes with maximum winds of 65 kilometers per hour near the center and gustiness of up to 80 kilometers per hour. It is forecast to move northeast at 30 kilometers per hour.
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