- 21-year-old electrocuted amid search and rescue
CONTINUOUS heavy rainfall triggered severe flooding early Tuesday morning, claiming the life of a 21-year-old man in Buhangin and forcing emergency units to launch widespread search and rescue operations.
In Barangay Buhangin, joint rescue teams from Central 911 and the local barangay retrieved the body of a young man floating in deep flood water directly in front of his rented residence in New San Isidro.
The victim was later identified by Buhangin Police (PS5) investigators as alias James , 21, a pump boy and native of Manay, Davao Oriental.
First responders discovered James showing no signs of life around 2 a.m. on May 19 while monitoring flood-affected neighborhoods.
He was immediately rushed to the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) but officially declared dead at approximately 3:15 a.m.
Medical records attribute the cause of death to cardiopulmonary arrest secondary to fatal cardiac dysrhythmia from accidental electrocution, compounded by acute respiratory failure due to drowning and floodwater aspiration.
His body currently lies at the SPMC morgue awaiting an autopsy.
SAR mobilization in Ma-a
As waters rapidly rose across other barangays, the Davao City Police Office (DCPO) immediately deployed tactical units to high-risk zones.
In Barangay Ma-a, Major Philip Dave A. Uddin , station commander of Police Station 16, activated and deployed his SAR teams at around midnight.Moving through submerged roads alongside personnel from the 1st and 2nd City Mobile Force Companies, rescuers spent the early hours of the morning extricating trapped residents.
Concurrently, the DCPO-1st CMFC, under the Lieutenant Colonel Daisy G. Torres, dispatched additional backup SAR teams to South Villa, Ma-a, at 12:30 a.m. to assist overwhelmed local personnel.
As of dawn on Tuesday, heavy weather-related emergency operations remain active and ongoing across the city’s affected areas.
Authorities continue to advise residents in low-lying and river-adjacent communities to monitor Central 911 alerts and evacuate immediately at the first sign of danger.
Meanwhile, a bridge connecting barangays Callawa and Mandug in Buhangin collapsed due to flooding caused by heavy rains evening on Monday.
Authorities are still assessing the damage, as of this writing.
Street flooding was reported along Lakandula Street, R. Castillo, Davao City as of 9:28 a.m. on May 19, 2026.Rising waters were reported along Avancenia Street, Belisario Village, R. Castillo, and several vehicles were stranded as a result.
The St. Mary of Perpetual Rosary Parish in Buhangin, Davao City was flooded after heavy rains hit the city on the evening of May 18.
The parish management announced the cancellation of all activities scheduled for the day due to the flooding and safety concerns.
