Body of owner of van that fell into river found

BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya, Philippines – The body of the driver-owner of the passenger van that fell off a bridge and sank into a river in Cagayan’s northeast Baggao town last Friday was recovered by authorities yesterday morning.

The recovered remains were identified to be that of Dominador Serquiña, former Baggao town police chief, who owned the ill-fated van.

However, the bodies of the six still unidentified passengers of the van have yet to be found even as search and rescue operations have been stepped up, Inspector Gerry Roque, Baggao police chief, said.

Those missing persons, believed to be mostly students, were feared to have been taken by the strong current of the Pared River in the town’s Barangay Bitag Grande where their vehicle submerged after it fell about 40 meters off a bridge amid heavy rainfall at around 6 a.m. Friday. – Charlie Lagasca, Raymund Catindig