ROSARIO, Batangas (UPDATED) — A jeepney carrying 14 people was swept away by floodwaters while crossing a spillway along the Panisingan River in Barangay Colongan in Rosario, Batangas, on Saturday afternoon, according to local officials.
Rosario Mayor Leovy Morpe said residents rescued 12 of the passengers after hearing their calls for help.
Rescuers have found the body of a woman, one of the owners of the jeepney. Her husband has yet to be found.
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The incident happened shortly after 4 p.m. The jeepney was reportedly coming from the town of Taysan and was carrying workers who were on their way to a poultry farm to harvest chickens.
Morpe said the driver proceeded to cross the spillway despite the river’s rising water level, reportedly upon the instruction of the jeepney’s owner.
There was no reported rain in Rosario at the time, but water levels in the river rose after heavy rains in nearby Lipa City, Morpe said.
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Search and rescue operations are continuing, involving personnel from the Rosario Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, Philippine Air Force, Philippine Coast Guard and Rosario police, along with relatives of the missing couple.