Mother dies in Sarangani floods

MANILA, Philippines — A 40-year-old woman drowned after she and her six-year-old daughter were swept by raging waters while crossing a river in Sarangani province, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said.

The NDRRMC reported that rescuers retrieved the body of Lucaya Sakilan at Barangay Pagasa in Alabel town minutes later the incident.

Reports said that the Sakilan and her daughter, Lyka Mae, were trying to cross the Kihan River in Sitio Amnas going to Sitio Manlangit around 4 p.m. Wednesday when the flashflood happened.

The two were swept by the strong current downstream, the NDRRMC report added.

Residents of the nearby village, meanwhile, managed to rescue Sakilan's daughter who was able to hang onto a floating tree.