By: Raydes B. Barcia
Legazpi City —Close to 400 retrieval team tried to establish anchor bolts in an unstable ground of Mayon Volcano’s crater to bring down the cadavers of four passengers died on Saturday after the Cessna plane 340A crashed on Saturday, February 18, 2023.
Mayor Carlos Caloy Irwin Baldo Jr, ground commander of the retrieval operations said that as of presstime 385 were mobilized in an effort to retrieve the four bodies of passengers killed after the Cessna plane 340A crashed at 350 meters away from the crater of Mayon Volcano.
As the operations for Cessna 340A entered its 7th day, a total of 385 responders are mobilized.
“Team of responders are struggling to set up anchor bolts due to the area’s loose and damp soil caused by the heavy rains this early morning. The anchor bolts with safety lines are set to be utilized in relaying the bodies down the slopes of the volcano,” Baldo said.
The team presently moving to the crash site is composed of 10 mixed mountaineers, 3 from the Naval Special Operations Group (NAVSOG), 7 from the Philippine Army, and 3 from the Bureau of Fire Protection – Special Rescue Force (BFP-SRF), Baldo said.
While deployed at the Forest Ranger Station are 20 personnel from the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), 10 from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), 6 mixed mountaineers, 3 from the Energy Development Corporation (EDC), 3 medics, and 5 porters tasked to hand out provisions of food and water to the teams.
At least 297 personnel under the PNP are also deployed to render ground security in priority areas within the slopes of Mayon Volcano.