Panama City, Oct 28. Two girls, aged 5 and 8, died after being swept away by a swollen river in Panama's Ngäbe Buglé indigenous region, where classes were suspended this Tuesday due to heavy rains affecting the area associated with Hurricane Melissa.
The incident occurred in the Mironó sector when the current surprised a group of five minors who were heading home from school and were crossing the river, which swept away the two little girls, according to witness accounts published by the local press.
Neighbors located the body of one of the girls, while agents of the National Civil Protection Service (Sinaproc) continue the search for the second victim, according to the local newspaper Crítica.
The Regional Education Directorate suspended classes on Tuesday in eight communities that have been affected in recent days by intense rains, which led Sinaproc to declare a preventive yellow alert on Sunday in the Ngäbe Buglé region.
The rescue service raised the alert to red or maximum in the provinces of Veraguas, Los Santos, and Chiríquí in recent hours due to the rains, an indirect effect of Melissa, a category 5 hurricane, and the risks of river flooding and landslides that have already affected several communities.
