By CESAR JOLITO III

A 53-year-old man was found dead after an overnight search operation in an irrigation canal at Barangay Caridad in Negros Occidental’s Bago City.

The victim, a resident of Purok Langka in the village, was recovered at around 11:30 a.m. on Monday, June 15, following a joint search and retrieval operation conducted by the authorities.

Police said a neighbor told them that he last saw the victim at his residence near the irrigation canal at around 1:00 p.m. on Sunday, June 14.

The neighbor also disclosed that the victim had been suffering from tuberculosis and was scheduled for a hospital check-up.

At around 5:30 a.m. on Monday, the neighbor went to the victim’s house to accompany him to the medical appointment but found him missing.

A child had earlier reported seeing the victim’s arm protruding above the water while the rest of the body was submerged in the canal.

Responding teams launched an extensive search and retrieval operation that led to the recovery of the victim’s body.

The victim was immediately brought to Bago City Hospital but was declared dead on arrival.

Authorities have not indicated any signs of foul play, and the incident remains under investigation to determine the exact circumstances surrounding the drowning./CCJ, WDJ