Eight individuals died after the passenger jeepney that they were riding while crossing a river got swept away by a flashflood in Tanay, Rizal on Saturday night, Dec. 10.

According to the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO) of Tanay, seven of the victims were senior citizens who went down from the mountain and came to the city proper to get social amelioration from the government. Another victim was a five-year old child.

A police report from the Rizal Provincial Police Office (PPO) identified the victims as Teresita Quinto, Maylard Keith Fernandez, Leonida Doroteo, Salvacion, Delgado, Carmen dela Cruz, Esmena Doroteo, Avelino Buera, and Teodora Buera. The report did not specify the relationship of the victims to each other.

A separate incident report from Tanay MDRRMO chief Norberto Francisco Matienzo Jr. said around 25 people were onboard a rented jeepney driven by one Jun Pio Domayik Jr. when the wheels of the vehicle suddenly got stuck on a rock while they were crossing a river in Barangay Sta. Ines around 8:15 p.m.

Suddenly, a strong river current caused the jeepney to turn turtle and trapped the passengers inside as waters reached the roof of the vehicle.

The incident happened quickly and eight of the passengers did not make it alive. The bodies of some of the victims were found a few meters from the site of the incident.

Authorities were also searching for Domayik since he was not found in the area when the first responders arrived. His wife, whose identity was not revealed for now by the Tanay MDRRMO, was injured and brought to a hopsital.

According to reports, another rented jeepney that carried a second batch of senior citizens was accompanying the vehicle of the victims and they were the first to cross the river safely.

The survivors reportedly said the water in the river was shallow when they went down the mountain.

But as they were returning to their homes after queuing for government assistance for hours in the city proper, the water quickly rose, taking them by surprise, reports added.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said the flashflood was due to a shearline — or the convergence of northeasterly and easterly winds that form rain clouds — affecting Calabarzon (Region 4A), and not because of Tropical Depression “Rosal” which was dumping rains in parts of Luzon.

"Per RDRRMC (regional DRRM council) CALABARZON's assessment and PDRA [pre-disaster risk assessment) earlier, the incident will not be reported as part of the effects of Rosal. Instead, they'll be reporting it as an effect of the shearline," NDRRMC information officer Mikkee Mabbagu said.