Two bodies fished out of Ambuklao Dam

BOKOD, Benguet – Two bodies were fished out of Ambuklao Dam in this upland northern town on Wednesday, including one who fell into swift-flowing river while collecting scrap metal, police and local officials said. Tello Pollido, a barangay captain in Bokod, said the body of 45-year-old Alex Noces was found by villagers a day after he fell and drowned into Agno River. He quoted witnesses saying Noces was crossing the river to get floating pieces of scrap metal but he fell and into swift current. The accident prompted the management of Ambuklao Dam and Binga Dam downstream in Itogon town to temporarily halt the operations of their hydroelectric facilities as community members searched for Noces. Mike Hosillos, external relations manager of dam operator SN Aboitiz, said the closure of both dams were essential in locating the body of Noces. “The closure was not dam-related, it was for the speedy search and retrieval," he explained. Pollido said the community did not stop searching until they found the body of Noces. Hours after Noces’ body was found on Wednesday, villagers noticed the body of a still unidentified male floating along the spillway of Ambuklao Dam. Senior Inspector Darney Dulnuan, Bokod police chief, said the body is now awaiting identification. Dulnuan said it is suspected that the 30-t0-40–year-old male is from Buguias town. “We have already alerted the Buguias PNP and the description fits one of the two still missing from typhoon Pepeng," Dulnuan said. A team from Buguias town was on its way to identify the victim, he said. Dulnuan said the body was in an advanced stage of decomposition. - GMANews.TV