A septic tank full of rainwater claimed the lives of two daycare learners in Purok 10, Barangay Concepcion, Makilala in Cotabato, on Monday, a village official said.
Rey Cayare, Barangay Concepcion chairperson, said the two learners, his grandson and nephew, aged 4 and 5 years old respectively, went home from school and played at the septic tank filled with rainwater.
Cayare said the two accidentally slipped into the open-hole septic tank while playing with their lunch boxes.
The village official said a resident informed them about the incident.
Villagers immediately rushed to the site but found nothing except lunch boxes floating in the water.
Cayare said that responders dove into the water to retrieve the two learners who sank to the bottom of the septic tank.
The boys were immediately brought to the nearby Makilala Medical Specialist in Makilala, Cotabato, and later referred to the Davao Doctor’s Hospital in Davao City, where they both expired.