Army team rescues man who jumped off CamSur bridge

An Army Rescue Team was training by the Tara Bridge in Camarines Sur on Monday but the members did not expect that they would be conducting an actual rescue when a man suddenly jumped off that bridge. 2nd Lieutenant Michael Castro, the leader of the 31st Infantry Battalion’s Disaster Response Operations (DRO) Team, said that his group was conducting rope course exercises in Tara bridge in Sipocot town. At around 10:00 a.m. however, a man suddenly jumped off the 40-meter bridge at around 10:00am. Castro identified the man as Charlie Abella, 35, of Beguito village of Libmanan town in Camarines Sur. Relatives who rushed to the scene said Abella was suffering from severe depression due to family problems. “We were having our practical exercises in rope courses and water search and rescue (WASAR) when we heard a loud thump a few meters from our position," Castro said. “We got the shock of our life when we found out that a man attempted to kill himself by jumping from the bridge and into the shallow water which was only about knee-level. We immediately placed him to our spine board and we put our combat life-saver training to test," added Castro. The soldiers transported the unconscious victim to the Bicol Medical Center for the treatment of the multiple injuries that he sustained. He has been declared out of danger by the attending physicians. The Army in Bicol has activated the Disaster Response Operations (DRO) teams as its ‘rapid deployment force’ during natural calamities. All brigades and battalions in the Bicol Region have their own DRO teams. These rescue teams are trained on Rope Technician’s Course, Mountain Operations Search and Rescue (MOSAR), Water Search and Rescue (WASAR) and Spineboard training. The 9th Infantry Division’s rescue team emerged as the national champion during the disaster response and rescue competition in Legaspi about two months ago. Major General Ruperto Pabustan, Commander of the 9th Infantry Division has lauded Castro and his men for their acts of heroism by saving someone’s life. –VVP, GMANews.TV