TARLAC CITY, Tarlac –– Rescue teams spotted the upturned gray Toyota Avanza submerged in the swollen Tarlac River, intensifying recovery operations for the still missing two passengers. Only a single tire barely breaks the surface of the muddy current, marking the grim location where the wreckage settled.
The vehicle plunged into the raging waters on Saturday night, August 29, 2026, when a section of Agana Bridge collapsed as they drove past.
Five individuals were aboard the vehicle: Paul Harvey Collado, 30, and James Patrick Taborlupa, 35, both nurses and residents of Barangay Maliwalo in Tarlac City; Nathaniel Dizon, 20, from Barangay Comillas in La Paz, Tarlac; Shiela Mae Taborlupa of Barangay San Rafael, Tarlac City; and 26-year-old Shanen Tuhao, a licensed teacher from Cavite.
Nathaniel Dizon survived the disaster by swimming ashore through the punishing currents. The lone survivor, so far, has directly contradicted earlier claims that emergency responders pulled him from the water.
Search teams recovered the remains of two of the four passengers left in the car downstream over the following days.
Rescuers first recovered the body of James Patrick in Barangay Carael, Dagupan City, Pangasinan, on August 31. Search operations also yielded the body of Tuhao, which rescuers discovered in Barangay San Vicente, Bayambang, Pangasinan, on September 1, 2026.
Local emergency units continue their search and recovery operations around the submerged vehicle as authorities work to locate the remaining passengers still missing.
