3 kids die from drowning incident in Cotabato

COTABATO CITY — Three boys drowned while trying to catch fish in a deep fishpond in Barangay Dalapitan, Matalam town in Cotabato on Tuesday.

Officials of the Matalam Municipal Police Station and Roel Vargas, who is managing the Matalam Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, separately confirmed to reporters on Thursday that all three minors died from the incident.

Vargas said they have a theory that one of them got drowned first and the two others also perished while trying to pull him toward the shallow side of the fishpond.

Hargas said that they are still investigating the incident.

Matalam Vice Mayor Ralph Rafael has requested barangay officials in Dalapitan to put up warning signs around the fishpond where the three children drowned to prevent a repeat of the incident.

Rafael vowed to help the families of the victims facilitate their burial.