Bodies float in flooded Botolan cemetery

Around 200 caskets and bodies floated in floodwaters at the Botolan Municipal Cemetery Monday, shocking residents in this first class municipality in Zambales.

Initial reports from ABS-CBN Regional Network Group said a large part of the cemetery in Barangay Paco was completely flooded after waters from the overflowing Bucao River inundated the town.

Barangay captain Cesar Raquidan said residents are no longer eating fish caught near the barangay for fear that the fish are eating some of the corpses. He said some residents have started to look for the bodies of their deceased relatives to transfer them to a different cemetery.

Resident Linda Dayo broke into tears as she told ABS-CBN Newes that she had yet to find the bodies of her two siblings who were buried in the cemetery.

More than 200 families in five barangays in Botolan, Zambales have evacuated after floodwaters completely submerged their homes over the weekend.

Botolan Mayor Roger Yap said flooding in the municipality remains a problem due to a 1-km break in the Bucao River dike. Affected by the floods are the barangays of Carael, San Juan, Paudpod, Batonlapoc, and Paco.

Officials said Carael bridge remains impassable to light vehicles but can now be used by buses and trucks.

Yap expressed concern that the local government might run out of food and potable water in evacuation centers. abs-cbnNEWS.com