Two Grade 10 students drown in Nueva Ecija river

GEN. TINIO, Nueva Ecija – Two teenage students drowned in a river channel at the Minalungao National Park in Barangay Pias here on Sunday (March 26), police said.

Investigators identified the victims as Joshua Mallare, 17, of Barangay San Pedro, and Romnick Bote, 16, of Barangay Pulong Matong, both of this town.

The victims were both Grade 10 students, the police said.

An initial investigation showed that the two went to the park, along with three other companions, for a swim.

But Mallare and Bote were carried away by the strong currents of around 2 p.m.

A companion of the two immediately rushed to the nearest village to seek help, said Staff Sgt. Jeffrey Pineda, investigator at the local police station.

Pineda said a former life guard of the park retrieved the bodies of the victims from the deep portion of the river.

The park has been closed since the pandemic struck in 2020. INQ

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