The body of an 18-year-old man who drowned in an irrigation canal in Sta. Barbara, Pangasinan was recovered morning on Wednesday, July 23, 2025, three days after he was swept away by strong currents.

Based on police investigation, the man and several friends had gone swimming afternoon on Monday, July 21, 2025, in the irrigation canal in Barangay Botao. However, the strong current proved too dangerous, and the young man was carried away.

Search and retrieval teams from the Philippine Coast Guard and the Sta. Barbara Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO) worked for three days to locate the victim.

His body was found eventually in Barangay Carusocan.

“Surface search, binaybay namin ito kahabaan nitong irrigation canal na ito, hanggang doon sa may medyo masukal na lugar sa may kawayan diyan. At doon din ang possible suspect namin, doon siya sumabit,” CPO Emilton Dela Rosa of the Coast Guard’s Special Operations Unit in Pangasinan said.

The MDRRMO turned over the body to local police, who are now coordinating with the victim’s family.

“Kanina natagpuan na, pero turn-over namin sa pulis para bahala na silang makipag-coordinate sa mga magulang ng biktima,” Sta. Barbara DRRM Officer Raymundo Santos said.

The victim’s mother declined to make a statement.

Authorities remind the public to avoid swimming in irrigation canals and other risky waterways, especially during the wet season when water levels and currents are unpredictable.