1 drowns, 2 missing at La Mesa Dam

A schoolgirl drowned yesterday and two of her classmates are missing and feared dead after they jumped into a water reservoir in Quezon City to celebrate the end of the schoolyear, the police said.

A big group of high school students climbed over a concrete wall separating the La Mesa Dam from a shantytown after having their pictures taken in their togas, dam operator Berminio Requinto said over dzMM radio.

The rest of the schoolchildren later approached the dam’s guards and reported that three of their classmates had drowned, he said.

"The guards have retrieved one girl, a 15-year-old. They are looking for the other two," Requinto said.

Meanwhile, a 45-year-old woman was crushed to death when she was ran over by a speeding Asian Utility Vehicle (AUV) while crossing Quirino Highway in Caloocan City the other night. Victim Liza Pareño married, residing at Block 25, Lot 17, Kanlaon Street, Mt. Height Subdivision was declared dead on arrival at the San Lorenzo Hospital. — AFP, Jerry Botial