On Tuesday, February 24, 2026, after extensive search efforts, personnel from the Puerto Quito Fire Department located the body of a one-and-a-half-year-old child who had fallen into the Inga River the previous Sunday. The body was discovered in the waters near La Palestina, in the northern part of the canton. National Police were dispatched to the scene to legally retrieve the body as per procedural requirements. This tragic event unfolded while the child was with family members at the riverside in the San Pedro area, where he entered the river to bathe and was swept away by the current.

The child’s disappearance has triggered not only a local search operation but also a broader community response towards river safety, highlighting the dangers that rivers pose, particularly for young children. As efforts continued, Fire Department officials reported that the search for a missing 13-year-old boy and an elderly person was also ongoing in the Quinindé area, indicating the broader issues of safety around rivers during this season. This situation raises important questions about child supervision and emergency response in rural areas.

In the light of this incident, local authorities might need to reassess community awareness programs on river safety and the possible need for more preventive measures to avoid similar tragedies in the future. With local communities often frequenting these areas, understanding river behavior and safety protocols becomes crucial in ensuring the safety of residents, particularly vulnerable demographics such as children and the elderly.