Teenager dies after being swept in creek in General Santos City

A 17-year-old teenager died after he was swept away in a creek amid heavy rains in General Santos City, it was reported Tuesday. 

According to the report of GMA Regional TV’s Efren Mamac in “24 Oras”, the victim’s bloodied body was recovered beside a creek in Barangay Sinawal. He was found naked and had injuries on his face. 

Authorities said the victim swam with his friends on Monday. Two of his friends survived, but the victim and two others were trapped in the raging waters. 

The victim and two of his friends tried to hold on to a piece of wood to cross. But the victim, who was also holding a plastic bag containing their cellphones, was not able to hold on, according to a barangay official. 

The victim’s father was emotional, saying he already warned his son not to go with his friends. 

“I told him not to go out anymore because I will go to sleep. ‘Yes, I will get some vegetables,’ he said. I didn’t know that he would be going out with his friends from the church choir,” the victim's father said. 

The City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office said that while there was no rainfall recorded at the central portion of the town at the time of the incident, they received reports of strong surge of water in some of the city's major rivers.

Weather specialists said the rainy weather in the region was caused by the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ).

Meanwhile, some vehicles from Kiamba in Sarangani province were stranded in floodwater that flowed from the mountains onto the roads in Barangay Suli on Monday afternoon. 

In the town of Maitum in Sarangani, students at Malalag National High School experienced a difficult time getting home after their school was submerged in a flood. —Vince Angelo Ferreras/RF, GMA Integrated News