Woman found dead in Bulacan identified as passenger of swept away SUV
By Hannah Nicol
A woman who went missing after a Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) was swept away by floodwaters in Caloocan City was found dead near the Taliptip Fishport in Bulakan, Bulacan, on Wednesday afternoon, July 23.
(Photo courtesy of Barangay officer Christian Daet/FB)
Authorities confirmed that she was the passenger of the SUV that was carried away by strong floods in Barangay 177, Camarin, North Caloocan on Monday night, July 21.
Barangay officer Christian Daet said fishermen, including Arjay Parilio, saw the woman’s body floating in the river and reported it after docking at the fishport.
Barangay officials quickly called for assistance from the Bulakan police and the Barangay Emergency Response Team to recover the body while the scene of the Crime Operatives (SOCO) later arrived to investigate.
The woman was identified by her family through the necklace and clothes she was wearing.
She was last seen with a 70-year-old driver attempting to cross the flooded Doña Aurora Bridge in Camarin. Their SUV was swept into a nearby creek by strong currents during heavy rains.
The driver’s body was recovered the following day, July 22, in Sampaguita Bridge, Barangay Bagong Silang, several kilometers from where the vehicle was last seen.
The Caloocan City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO) had earlier expanded search efforts to nearby rivers, including the Marilao River, in hopes of locating the missing woman.
According to the driver’s wife, he was able to make a final call to his family asking for help before the vehicle disappeared.
Some witnesses claimed they tried to stop the driver from crossing the bridge, but he insisted on going through. The vehicle was then swept away by the strong current.
Authorities are continuing their investigation to confirm the cause of death and determine whether appropriate warnings were issued and followed during the heavy rains caused by the southwest monsoon and recent typhoons.
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