3 people, including a baby, drown in Maguindanao river —police

Three people, including a one-year-old girl, drowned in Upi town in Maguinadanao on Saturday, the police said.

Information from the office of Senior Inspector Jemar Delos Santos of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) Police Office identified the fatalities as Linda Modunggel, 39; Melanie Modunggel, 11; and Richel Modunggel, 1, all from Sitio Daluga, Barangay Bantek of Upi town.

An initial investigation showed that at about 1:30 p.m. last Saturday, the three were crossing a bamboo bridge in Sitio Kiladek of Barangay Bantek, also in Upi, when they slipped off, fell into the river, and were carried downstream by strong water current.

The three went missing in the river, prompting barangay officials and disaster response personnel to conduct a search and rescue operation.

Rescuers found the bodies of Linda and the baby in the river section in Sitio Kilawlaw in Bantek, while Melanie's body was recovered in the section in the town of Datu Blah, Maguindanao. —LBG, GMA News