Woman drowns, husband safe after van falls into Iloilo river

ILOILO CITY, Philippines — A woman drowned after the van she was riding fell into the Iloilo River past midnight Sunday, according to a police report.

Lovely Joan Lacandaso, 28, was pronounced dead on arrival at the St. Paul’s Hospital Iloilo, where she was brought by rescuers.

Police Officer 2 Raul Robide, investigator of the Waterfront police sub-station, said Lacandaso was onboard an Isuzu Multicab van driven by her husband Jimmy Jr., 26, when the vehicle fell off the wharf along Muelle Loney Street in Iloilo City around 1 a.m. Sunday.

The husband managed to get out of the van after it fell into the Iloilo River but his wife was trapped inside the vehicle, according to the police.

A three-member team from the Philippine Coast Guard retrieved Lovely Joan’s body after an hour.

Robide said their initial investigation showed that the couple was on their way to Duran Street when Jimmy lost control of the vehicle.

The police are still conducting further investigation into the incident, Robide told the Philippine Daily Inquirer.