Mourning in Neck-Deep Water: CDO Family Carries Coffin Upstairs as Flood Rises

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – Grief turned into a nightmare for one family after they were forced to move their loved one’s coffin to the second floor as neck-deep floodwaters invaded their home at the height of Typhoon Basyang. The heartbreaking scene showed relatives wading through murky water while trying to keep the white coffin from being swallowed by the flood.

Kent Kobe Opon, who shared the images online, said Basyang robbed them of both their home and their chance to mourn in peace. “One moment, we lost a loved one. In another, we lost our home,” he wrote, describing how tragedy and disaster struck them almost at the same time.

“Grief and disaster came together,” Opon added, saying their family is now left with “pain that words can barely hold” but is trying to stay strong. He thanked people who have been sending prayers, saying their messages mean a lot as the family struggles to recover from the double blow.