Body of missing 78-year-old found in Panama’s San Pablo River

Search personnel from Panama’s National Civil Protection System, known as SINAPROC, found the body of a 78-year-old man who had been reported missing in the rural area of Soná district, Veraguas.

The body was located at 4:46 p.m. on Sunday, September 6, at the point where the San Pablo and Cobre rivers meet. Rescue teams had continued searching after authorities received the report of his disappearance.

With the discovery, rescue authorities confirmed that Veraguas has recorded 13 deaths by drowning so far this year. Monitoring remains active in river basins and areas vulnerable to sudden rises in water levels.

Authorities carried out the required procedures at the site to recover the body and begin the formal paperwork. SINAPROC also repeated safety guidance, warning people not to cross rivers or streams when water levels rise, the water becomes muddy, or currents strengthen. It advised against crossing during rain upstream, even if conditions appear dry at a person’s location, and urged people not to use animals, motorcycles, vehicles, or heavy machinery to cross waterways.