Trapped workers in plane crash site in Cagayan rescued

MANILA, Philippines - All the 42 ground rescuers who had been trapped in the Chemtrad plane-crash site due to bad weather were flown Friday morning to Tuguegarao airport in Cagayan province, authorities said Friday. Cagayan Valley police commander Chief Supt. Roberto Damian said the 42 rescue workers headed by 2Lt. Rey Zamora of the 17 Infantry Battalion were air lifted between 9:30 to 11:15 a.m. The ground rescuers were on a mission to retrieve the bodies of the victims of a Chemtrad plane crash in the jungles of Cagayan. Damian said the rescuers were given medical attention upon arrival in Tuguegarao, adding all of them were “generally well." However, Damian said, five of the rescued workers were brought to the Cagayan Valley Medical Center for further examination and treatment. One of the five had fallen into a deep hole, but still managed to walk to the helicopter pick-up site. The other four were treated for foot injuries. Most of the workers suffered cuts and bruises due to the very rugged and steep terrain they had to negotiate along their way to the clearing, Damian said. At about 12:15 noon, Damian subjected the rescued workers to a debriefing session at the Regional Disaster Coordinating Center. The ill-fated Chemtrad plane left Tuguegarao airport on April 2 en route to Isabela's coastal town of Maconacon, but the aircraft crashed in the heavily forested mountain in Baggao, Cagayan. - GMANews.TV