STO. NIÑO, Cagayan – The body of a rigger man who accidentally slipped and drowned on a river while working on a bridge project was finally found after 10 days of search and retrieval operations in Baranga Namuccayan here.
Authorities identified the victim as Jesus Bautista, 56, rigger man of Pulsar Construction Co. and a resident of Barangay Caliliauan, Solana, this province.
The local police received a call from Barangay Namuccayan Captain Corazon Morgado that a man’s body was seen on the riverbank in Barangay Namuccayan last July 29.
Police and personnel of the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO) recovered the victim’s cadaver.
Police investigation showed that Bautista working last July 19 at about 9 p.m. at the construction site of a bridge connecting Barangay Palusao and Niug Sur here when he accidentally slipped and fell on the river.
The MDRRMO, Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office, Philippine Coast Guard, and police here conducted retrieval operations for 10 days after the incident.
A rigger man is responsible for aligning and anchoring the machinery, attaching loads, controlling the movement of heavy equipment, and ensuring the rigging is safe for use in a construction site.