ILOILO City – A six-year-old boy, his 10-year-old brother and a nine-year-old relative drowned in a river in Barangay Intaluan, Pototan, Iloilo yesterday around 10 a.m.
Police identified them as siblings John Arnold and Arnold Peñafiel and Rodalyn Dolendes – all residents of Barangay Pitogo, Pototan.
From what the municipal police so far gathered, the victims went to the river for a swim.
However, they were swept away by the strong current toward the deeper part of the river.
The victims’ bodies were fished out from the river after a search and retrieval operation that lasted for about an hour.
The minors were rushed to the Iloilo Provincial Hospital but the attending physician pronounced them “dead on arrival.”
To avoid similar incident, authorities reminded families living along riverbanks to ensure the safety of their children by not allowing them to swim unaccompanied by elders./PN
