The body of a 53-year-old farmer who was swept away by raging floodwaters during the onslaught of Severe Tropical Storm Paolo was recovered on Sunday, nearly three days after he went missing, authorities said in a report on Monday.
According to the Aritao Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, the farmer’s remains were found floating along a river in Barangay Santa Clara, Aritao.
A 30-member search and retrieval team – composed of local police, firefighters, municipal disaster responders, and volunteers from nearby towns – had been scouring the swollen river since the man was reported missing.
Initial reports indicate the farmer was attempting to cross a bamboo bridge over the river to retrieve his carabao from a flooded field when he slipped and was swept away by the current.
Barangay Santa Clara Chairman Ricardo Suguitan told responders that witnesses had seen the man struggling to swim before being overwhelmed by the swift-moving waters.
On Oct. 4, at least 767 families – or 2,514 individuals – were forced to evacuate to temporary shelters and higher ground across Nueva Vizcaya due to flooding caused by Paolo. Most evacuees began returning to their homes the following day./coa