Stranded mountaineers in Negros Or rescued

At least six mountain climbers who were stranded while trekking through Mt. Talinis in Valencia, Negros Oriental, were rescued Friday afternoon. The six were brought to the Valencia police station around 5 p.m. Friday and appeared to be in good shape, news site Visayan Daily Star reported Saturday. The mountaineers — which were rescued in Apolong village in Valencia town — were identified as:

• Charles Salon, 22;
• Antonieto Opelario, 21;
• Franz Emmanuel “Karl" Consing, 32;
• Mark Anthony Omega, 21;
• Jimmy Lumawag, 30; and
• Michael Whelan, 18.

The trekkers were reported to be trapped by rising waters and thick fog from the Caipuhan sulfuric river in Valencia. At 1 a.m. Friday, the Philippine National Police (PNP) received a call about the failure of the group to return to Dumaguete on Thursday afternoon. Members of the Valencia PNP station, the Negros Oriental PNP Office, and the Valencia Emergency Rescue Team were the first to reach and rescue the trekkers. A group of local mountaineers also left early Friday morning to search for the stranded trekkers, while another group from the Negros Oriental Search and Rescue, also joined the search. Dwight Maxino, resident manager of the Energy Development Corporation-Southern Negros Geothermal Production Field, also mobilized their emergency rescue team to help in the search. — JE/LBG, GMA News