2 kids drown in Isabela river

TUGUEGARAO CITY—Two girls drowned while their cousin survived Sunday after being swept away by raging river current in San Mariano, Isabela, authorities said.

One of the fatalities was Linlin Panuncio, 10, a resident of Barangay Disusuan. The other fatality, an 8-year-old girl, was not immediately identified.

Reynaldo Gutierrez, barangay captain of Disusuan, told the Inquirer that the victims and their cousin, Elsa Bagain, 14, went swimming in the Disabungan River, which is about 16 meters deep.

Farmer Edmund Palason saw the children and managed to save Bagain, but the two other girls were swept away by the strong current. The bodies of the two victims were later recovered.

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