Just a few hours after their wedding, newlyweds Rhesamie Ypil Costan, 26, and Elmer Costan, 25, met a tragic end in a river flash flood in Carmen town, Cebu. The couple had just tied the knot on Saturday, July 6, and were enjoying a post-wedding celebration at a mountain resort in Sitio Mangingit, Barangay Lower Natimao-an, with family and friends on Monday, July 8.
Rhesamie, who was six months pregnant, tragically jumped into the river after seeing her husband fall in. Her body was found a few hours later, while Elmer remains missing. According to Rhesamie’s father, Amadeo Ypil Jr., the family arrived at the resort around 11 a.m. By 3 p.m., a neighbor arrived in a pickup truck to join them. Amadeo had left briefly to take some relatives home on his motorcycle and planned to return for the rest.
However, Amadeo later received news that a vehicle had been swept away by floodwaters. The pickup truck, carrying Rhesamie and 16 others, was hit by a sudden surge of water as it tried to cross the river around 5 p.m. While sitting inside the truck, Rhesamie saw Elmer fall into the river and instinctively jumped in after him.
“Pagtan-aw niya nga natagak iyang bana, iyang gisunod,” Amadeo recounted. The couple, along with four others, went missing, while ten were immediately rescued. Later that day, the body of an 11-year-old child was found in the river in Barangay Luyang. The following day, July 9, Rhesamie’s body was discovered along the river’s coast, alongside 12-year-old Nathaniel Lozano.
Rhesamie, the eldest of eight siblings, worked as a cashier at a pawnshop. Before the incident, she had shared her plans to move to Camotes Island, where her new husband Elmer was from.
In the wake of this tragedy, a TikTok video uploaded by Nene Sepen Collamat caught the attention of netizens. The video showed an ominous black cloth draped over the altar during the couple’s wedding ceremony, which many interpreted as a bad omen. The altar, devoid of decorations, had the black cloth likely due to ongoing repairs at the church.
In Filipino culture, black is a symbol of death and mourning, a belief passed down through generations. While some may see this as mere coincidence, the tragic events have left a deep impact on the families and other victims involved.
May the souls of Rhesamie, her unborn child, and the other victims rest in peace. Their untimely demise serves as a poignant reminder of the unpredictability of life and the fragility of human existence.