Grieving Father Warns Public of Deep River Pits  

A grieving father in Bella Vista is sounding the alarm after a hidden danger in the local river claimed the life of his fourteen-year-old daughter. Eliza Pop was swimming in the river when she suddenly disappeared beneath the surface. Her father, Alfredo Pop, says she stepped into a deep pit dug into the riverbed, one that was far deeper than expected. Despite efforts to save her, Eliza tragically drowned. These pits, often dug with permission for various purposes, are supposed to be around four feet deep. But in this case, Alfredo believes the pit was much deeper and far more dangerous. Now, he’s urging the community to speak out against digging these pits in areas where families and children swim.

 

Alfredo Pop, Father of Deceased

“They were bathing inside the shallow place, but now when she step several, like three meter from the riverside, she never know that she found a deep place there where the escavator dig almost like 25 feet deep. So when she, when she put the foot now, she sink right in there. So that’s what happened with my daughter, because it’s sad because, you know, I felt a big glass because she’s the only one. Because like I say,if there’s no pit there, I think that could have never happened because, usually it’s so shallow, but because of the digging of the sand, then the reason it’s very deep. Twenty-five feet.”

 

Britney Gordon

“So you want to warn and caution other people about this danger?”

 

Alfredo Pop

“Well, exactly, because what I want to tell the people from Bella Vista, we need to come together because what happened, this will not sto. To stop this, make me come together. For who is that pit? I don’t have no idea.  I would’ve want advise our people from Bay Vista and make we try to do something about it or the government make it look into it. Because of this, I lost my daughter already.”

 

Residents are being warned to stay alert and avoid swimming in unfamiliar parts of the river, especially where digging may have occurred.