Rescuers recover body of child in Laguna flash flood

LOS BAÑOS, Laguna — Rescuers recovered, on Monday, the body of a six-year-old girl, one of the three people swept away by raging waters in a river in Majayjay town in Laguna province, police said.

Senior Insp. Marcelino Marcial, Majayjay police director, said the body of Christine Althea Alemania was found at 9 a.m. at a section of the river in Barangay Balanak, about seven kilometers from where a flash flood swept her away on Sunday afternoon.

Alemania’s father, Bryan, 34, and another victim, Vanessa Carillo, 33, remained missing, as of Monday.

Marcial, in a telephone interview, said retrieval operations continued despite the heavy rains in the town, located close to Mt. Banahaw.

“We’re still here in the area. The [river’s] current is still strong. In fact, the water is still brown from the mud,” he said.

The Alemanias, from Cabuyao City in Laguna, and Carillo, a resident of Dasmariñas City in Cavite province, were guests at the Dalitiwan Resort in Barangay Ilayang Banga. They were standing near the river when a flash flood hit the area at 4:30 p.m. Sunday.

Marcial said it was raining hard from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday, prompting the resort’s staff to warn their guests to stay in a safe area.

“The rains had stopped but after that came the strong waters down the mountain, sweeping the victims,” he said. SFM