Child in bridge collapse remain missing–police
Search and retrieval operations continued yesterday to locate the remaining child who went missing following a bridge collapse at Brgy. Santiago, Laua-an town, Antique last Wednesday.
As of Sunday noon, Senior Supt. Ruperto Floro, director of Antique Police Provincial Office, said they have yet to find Risa Aretano, 13.
Late Thursday afternoon, the body of 10-year-old Margie Demetrio was found along the riverbank of Brgy. Paningayan, Laua-an.
Aretano and Demetrio were among the 15 school children who crossed the 30-meter hanging bridge that collapsed Wednesday afternoon.
Ten children were rescued immediately while five others were carried away by the strong current.
The bodies of Juvy Espino and Nelibeth Aretano, both 14, and Keith Manuel Egan, 11, were found first.
The hanging bridge was put up after the old one was destroyed by Typhoon Frank in June 2008.
Investigation
Following the incident, the Department of Education 6 initiated an investigation.
Assistant Regional Director Corazon Brown said the DepEd Antique Division already submitted an initial report.
“According to them, when the incident happened, there was rain shower and that it was no cause for alarm. Usually, if there was a heavy downpour, parents fetch their children from school,” she said.
Reports said several parents blamed the teachers for not allowing the children to go home early despite the bad weather.
But teachers of Santiago Elementary School maintained that they did not keep the children late at school.
The incident was purely accident, they said.*
