TUBA, Benguet — In a notice to the public, officials of Barangay Tadiangan, Tuba, Benguet together with the Tuba Municipal Police Station announced the temporary closing of the Kagaling river at Sitio Hydro #2 to non-residents.

The closure came after a man died in the hospital moments after he was retrieved in the afternoon of 17 April at Hydro 4 River, located in Hydro 4, Nangalisan, Tuba, Benguet. He was rushed to a medical facility at Baguio City but was declared dead-on-arrival.

The reported cause of death was severe asphyxia secondary to drowning.

The closure of the river was announced in the afternoon of 18 April that will last until Sunday afternoon. Barangay officials issued such in order to prevent any untoward incident.

The Tuba Police is advising the people to exercise extreme caution when visiting rivers, hydro areas and other bodies of water.

“Avoid swimming in unfamiliar or unsupervised locations, especially where strong currents or sudden depth changes may occur. Children should be closely supervised, and all safety signs and local advisories must be strictly observed,” stated the Police.