By JEN BAYLON
The four remaining foreign hikers who were reported missing on Mount Talinis in Negros Oriental’s Valencia town were rescued after a three-day search-and-rescue operation on Saturday morning, March 22.
The remaining four — Germans 60-year-old Aldwin Fink and 67-year-old Wolfgang Schlenker, along with 38-year-old Russian Anton Chernov and 50-year-old Canadian identified only as Terry — were located near a hydropower plant at Sitio Kanguntol in Amlan town’s Barangay Silab at 9:44 a.m., the Valencia municipal government said in a Facebook post.
The search was conducted by a joint team from the Negros Oriental Police Provincial Office, the Philippine Army’s 11th Infantry Battalion, and other government agencies.
Adverse weather conditions, including heavy rain and dense fog, complicated the operation on Saturday.
Drones were deployed to aid in the search, and volunteers played a crucial role in navigating the rugged terrain.
Rescue vehicles from the local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office transported the hikers down Mount Talinis around 11:00 a.m.
Lt. Colonel Michael Aquino, 11th Infantry Battalion commanding officer, said Chernov had to be carried on a stretcher as he showed signs of hypothermia and complained of knee pain.
The rescued hikers were taken to a nearby hut, where they were given food and blankets.
Despite minor injuries, the trekkers, including the two rescued on Friday morning, March 21, were in stable condition and were immediately transported to the Incident Command Post for medical evaluation.
They were brought to the Negros Oriental Provincial Hospital in Dumaguete City.
Aquino said the hikers survived the three-day trail by consuming edible plants and drinking water from the lake.
One member of the group had packed snacks, which helped sustain them.
The first two hikers — German national 58-year-old Torsten Martin Groschupp, and 63-year-old British national Alexander Radvanyi, were found on Friday, in Valencia’s Barangay Malabo after embarking on a day-long trek on March 19.
The Valencia police confirmed that the group had started their journey from Sitio Luwas in Valencia’s Barangay Malabo, with the Balinsasayao Twin Lakes as their destination.
Negros Oriental Police Provincial Office spokesperson, Police Lt. Stephen Jaynard Polinar, said the search operations, conducted by the Valencia Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, led to a trail where footprints were found, believed to be those of the foreigners.
The hikers told the authorities that they were separated from the four others./JB, WDJ