By Jennifer P. Rendon
A 10-year-old boy drowned in a river at Calinog, Iloilo Thursday afternoon.
Police only identified the victim as Nathan (real name withheld), a resident of Barangay Simsiman, Calinog and a Grade 4 pupil of Calinog Elementary School.
According to reports, the victim had decided to take a dip in the Jalaur River, which is also located in Simsiman village.
Master Sergeant Ricky Lubas, Calinog police investigator, said the victim was with some friends and classmates as they had no more classes.
He noted that the water where the victim swam was shallow, but the current was strong.
Lubas said the victim may have slipped and got carried by the strong water current.
His companions immediately asked for help from residents.
Lubas said they received the report around 12:59 p.m.
When members of the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO) arrived, a resident managed to rescue the boy.
Nathan was rushed to Calinog District Hospital.
The boy, the fifth in a brood of eight, was temporarily revived but he died several minutes after he was taken to the hospital.
