29 mountaineers trapped in Mt. Pinatubo rescued

Rescue teams on Monday afternoon secured 29 mountaineers after being trapped in Mt. Pinatubo in Porac, Pampanga since Saturday.

Porac Mayor Condralito Dela Cruz told GMA News' Balita Pilipinas that the 29 mountaineers were rescued at around 1:30 p.m.

Dela Cruz said some of the mountaineers suffered minor injuries.

Three teams, including policemen, and a helicopters were dispatched to rescue the mountaineers who sent a distress call to local authorities after being trapped near the volcano's crater.

Dela Cruz said that the mountaineers encountered the problem because they failed to coordinate with the authorities.

"Pumasok sila at hindi nagpaalam sa amin. Bigla na lang silang pumasok sa bundok namin nang hindi namin alam. Ngayon, naligaw sila," he said.

The mountaineers were able to post on Facebook and contact their friends before they lost any means of communications.

Their contact person then alerted authorities about their situation.

The group started their Mt. Pinatubo climb on Saturday.

While Mt. Pinatubo has been a major tourist spot for several years, Dela Cruz said that its size makes it impossible to be fully covered by mountain rangers or the local authorities.

"Ang ginagawa natin, kung mayrooong gustong makita ang bundok, pinasasamahan namin sa local guides at mga katutubo. Napakalaki ng bundok kaya imposibleng mabantayan ng lokal na pamahalaan ang kabuuan," he said. —Bianca Rose Dabu/ALG, GMA News