3 children missing after flood washes away house in Laguna

SAN PEDRO CITY — Three children went missing after a flashflood swept away their house in Calamba City, Laguna Tuesday morning, a provincial official said.

Chris Sanji, information officer of Laguna province, said the flood washed away the house of the Monghe family in Barangay Parian, around 2 a.m., at the height of strong rains and wind.

The names of the family members were not immediately available.

Sanji said rescuers later found the husband and his nine-year-old son in Barangay Palingon around 9 a.m. Those who remain missing were children aged 5, 3 and 1.

The mother, identified as Jezza, was not around at the time and had just returned from work in Manila.

“The father said he was not able to hold on to the three children (due to the strong current),” Sanji said.

In the province’s capital, Sta. Cruz, authorities closed off a major bridge referred to as “tulay na malaki,” after they saw a crack in the bridge, believed to be caused by a barge that hit the structure.

Rommel Palacol of the provincial government Action Center, said they were preparing to place Laguna under a state of calamity due to the number of residents affected. /je