29 mountaineers rescued in Mt Pinatubo

MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) – Search and rescue operations for 29 mountaineers in Mount Pinatubo were conducted Monday morning, December 28, after their guide sought help from authorities.

According to Lisa Fabillar of the Office of Civil Defense Region III, they mobilized 3 search and rescue (SAR) teams from Porac in Pampanga, and a chopper from Basa Air Base to the view deck of Mt Pinatubo to rescue the mountaineers.

The tourist guide of the group sought help from authorities after some of the mountaineers failed to show up at their designated meeting place. Fabillar added that their guide is not connected with the local tourism office.

“Nagreport `yung guide nila sa local DRRMC tungkol sa nangyari at kinoordinate sa opisina namin para sa search and rescue (Their guide reported the incident to the disaster risk reduction and management council and they coordinated the details with us for the search and rescue),” Fabillar added. 

Mark Sarmiento, Pampanga DRRMO administration staff, also said that Porac Mayor Condralito de la Cruz joined one of the SAR teams heading to the mountain.

Radio dzMM reported that all the mountaineers were rescued early Monday afternoon. – Rappler.com