Rescuers of crash victims stranded in Cagayan

MANILA, Philippines - Flash floods and bad weather have left stranded the team sent to recover the bodies of seven victims of the Chemtrad plane crash in Cagayan province in north Luzon. Office of the Civil Defense Region 2 Director Melchito Castro said Thursday that two helicopters had been deployed to a rendezvous point to pick up the stranded rescue team. "Ire-rescue namin ang aming mga rescuers na pumunta rito para kunin ang bodies ng namatay sa Chemtrad tragedy. Dalawang helicopters ang aalis ngayon para kunin ang mga rescuer na naiwan sa site," he said in an interview on dzXL radio. [We will pick up our rescuers who went to the crash site to recover the bodies of the Chemtrad tragedy victims. Two helicopters have been sent to the site to get our rescuers.] He did not say how many were stranded but said the rescuers had instructions to go to an area where they can easily pick up the distressed aide workers. Castro also advised fishermen in the province, especially those using small sea crafts, not to venture far off into the sea as the tail end of a cold front might cause big waves. "May tail end of a cold front, mas malakas ang alon ngayon [The tail end of a cold front may cause bigger waves]," he said. Citing reports reaching him, Castro said the flash floods in the province had so far displaced 20 families or 110 people. Some 30 carabaos had drowned in the floods, he added. He described the rains and floods during summer as abnormal, saying this was the first time floods occurred at this time of the year. "For this month, April, first time ito nangyari sa Cagayan. Nangyari ito December at January in previous years. [This is the first time it happened in Cagayan that flash floods occur in April. In previous years, the floods would come in December and January]," he said, adding this may be due to climate-change pehnomenon. - GMANews.TV