ZAMBOANGA CITY – Two elementary students were found dead on Thursday, June 19, in a pond in Barangay Cabaluay here.
The victims – Ivan Apolinario, 10, Grade 5 pupil, and Joshua Sannudin, 8, a Grade 1 student – were reported missing after they failed to return home on Wednesday night.
Authorities said that the two boys were last seen on Wednesday walking toward the pond with a fishing rod.
They did not return, prompting Ivan's grandfather, Delfin Apolinario, 63, to report his grandson missing to the Zamboanga City Police Station 3 on Thursday morning.
Shortly after the report, a concerned citizen alerted the police that two bodies were discovered submerged in the pond. Responding officers found the two boys lifeless and floating in a supine position.
Their community was shocked over the tragic loss of the two young boys and authorities are conducting an investigation to uncover the circumstances surrounding their deaths.