A total of seven persons died after these persons were swept away at a river while riding a pick-up truck in Carmen, Cebu on Monday, its mayor said.

In a Facebook post late Wednesday, Carmen Mayor Carlo Villamor said the search and retrieval operations had “officially terminated” and the bodies of six people who were previously missing have all been recovered.

“We've been through many trials like COVID-19, Typhoon Odette, and now this great flood that claimed the seven lives of our brothers and sisters but we didn't stop or fall, we remain strong!” Villamor said.

In a separate post on Thursday, Villamor said a mass was held for the deceased at the Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Parish.

The 10 other passengers boarding the pick-up truck survived. The pick-up truck came from a celebration, bringing 17 people. Jaspearl Tan/DMS