2 kids rescued from swollen river in Cotabato town
KIDAPAWAN CITY—Two children were rescued from rampaging waters during severe flooding in Makilala town, Cotabato province on Thursday (Aug. 6), according to a disaster official.
Arnulfo Villaruz, of the provincial disaster risk reduction and management office, said the children, aged three and seven, were playing near the river when swirling flood waters swept them away.
Bystanders who saw what was happening swam through the flood and rescued the two, who were identified as Necel and Althea, and residents of the village of Kisante.
Both suffered bruises caused by debris that the water carried with it. They are now in a hospital in Makilala.
Unrelenting rain, compounded by a low pressure area in Mindanao, caused many rivers in Cotabato to overflow.
Motorists were stranded for almost two hours on Thursday afternoon as flood waters breached the Bulatukan Bridge here. In 2018, rampaging flood waters wiped out the bridge’s approach, making it unserviceable for several days.