The 11th Infantry Battalion soldiers and civilian rescuers with the four foreign hikers rescued in Barangay Silab, Amlan, Negros Oriental, on Saturday.* 11th IB photo
The four remaining foreign trekkers who went missing in Negros Oriental, were rescued in Sitio Hydro, Brgy. Silab, Amlan, Negros Oriental, at about 9:44 a.m. Saturday, March 22.
The four and two others who were rescued Friday, who are German, British, Russian and Canadian nationals, set off on a trek from Barangay Malabo, Valencia, on Wednesday, March 19, and were hit by heavy rain.
When they failed to return from what was supposed to be a one-day trek they were reported missing.
Rescued on Saturday were Germans Alwin Fink, 60, and Wolfgang Arthur Schlenker, 67, Russian Anton Chernov, 38, and Canadian Terry de Gunten, 50.
British Alexander Radvanyi, 63, and German Torsten Martin Groschupp, 50, were rescued on Friday.
A joint search and rescue operation, involving the 11th Infantry Battalion of the Army’s 302nd Brigade, local authorities, and various agencies, successfully located the four foreign mountaineers who went missing, the 11th IB reported.
The four were separated from their two companions on their way to the Balinsasayao Twin Lakes Natural Park on Wednesday.
Lt. Col. Michael Aquino, commanding officer of the 11th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army, said he dispatched two teams at daybreak to search for the four.
“The troops, accompanied by some civilian rescue volunteers, followed a creek until they came across the missing hikers at an area about one kilometer away from the hydropower plant in Barangay Silab around 9:45 in the morning,” Aquino said.
Three were ambulatory, while Chernov had to be carried on a stretcher as he showed signs of hypothermia and complained of knee pain.
The group was taken to a nearby hut, where they were given warm drinks, food and blankets.
Aquino said the foreigners survived for three days with whatever edible food they could find along the way.
Rescue vehicles and ambulances from the Amlan Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office transported the hikers down the mountain around 11 a.m. and then brought them to the Negros Oriental Provincial Hospital in Dumaguete City.
When interviewed, the foreigners said they were “shocked” to discover that their two other companions, Radvanyl and Groschupp, were no longer with them.
Radvanyl and Groschupp were rescued on Friday afternoon somewhere in the Balinsasayao Twin Lakes vicinity where two residents found them.
Aquino said locating the hikers was challenging due to the vast expanse of the Mt. Talinis mountain range, which spans multiple towns.
Using GPS (global positioning system), Army troops were able to estimate the probable location of the four, based on information and photos provided by Radvanyl and Groschupp.
With no mobile or internet signal in the area, rescuers relied on hand-held radios for communication.* with a report from PNA