2 teenage girls swept away by flash flood in Davao City found dead
By Ivy Tejano
DAVAO CITY – Two teenage girls were found dead and five others remain missing as of Monday morning, Sept. 15, after they were swept away by a flash flood at Mini Asik-Asik Falls in Barangay Carmen, Baguio District, here.
Initial report from the Davao City Police Office said nineteen residents were swimming when they were trapped and carried away downstream on Sunday, Sept. 14.
Authorities rescued 12 individuals and seven were unaccounted for. Missing were five residents from Saint Jude in Barangay Buhangin Proper, Buhangin District, and two from Barangay Tamayong in Calinan District.
Rescuers recovered two bodies on Monday – a 13-year-old girl and a 12-year-old girl – in separate areas on the Talomo River.
Authorities said heavy rains in the upland area triggered the flash flood. The City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office reiterated that fall entry has long been prohibited due to safety hazards.
CDRRMO chief Alfredo Baloran said the Mines and Geosciences Bureau-11 declared the area a danger zone following the assessment in February 2022 because of vulnerability to landslides, especially during heavy rainfall.
The CDRRMO instructed the Barangay Councils of Carmen and Tamayong, Bantay Bukid, and the security cluster to strictly restrict leisure activities at Mini Asik-Asik Falls to ensure safety.
According to the CDRRMO 2023 Public Advisory, the Sirib Emergency and Mountain Search and Rescue Auxiliary (SEMSRA) was instructed to assist in monitoring activities within the area.
Baloran said the creek in the area connects to river systems in Davao City prone to flooding during downpour. He reiterated the local government’s standing order prohibiting anyone from visiting the area.
Search operations for the remaining missing persons are ongoing as of posting time.
Meanwhile, police recovered the body of a laborer on the riverbank in Purok 2, Barangay Riverside, Calinan District, on Monday morning.
Police identified the victim as Noel, 47, a resident of Sitio Tigon, Barangay Tamayong, Calinan.
Authorities recovered his body at around 6 a.m., and the incident was reported to authorities at 7:35 a.m. by a resident, Ronnabel Colangoy. She said her sister-in-law noticed the body.
The incident was reported to the Calinan Police Station. Lawmen found the victim in a state of rigor mortis and relatives identified the body. Further investigation is ongoing.