Belgian environmentalist, four others rescued in Philippine forest

Manila - A Belgian environmentalist and his four Filipino companions were rescued Wednesday after seven days of being stranded in a northern Philippine forest, an air force spokesman said. Bert Peeters suffered bruises when rescuers plucked him out of the thickly forested slopes of the Sierra Madre mountain range in Isabela province, 300 kilometers north of Manila, Lieutenant Colonel Gerardo Zamudio said.

Zamudio said Peeters' four Filipino companions were also safely recovered.

Peeters' group left the town of Ilagan on January 13 to hike to the seaside town of Divilacan by cutting through the thickly forested Sierra Madre mountain range, but they were trapped in the forest because of heavy rains and a raging river, Zamudio said.

A tribesman who served as the group's guide was able to return to Ilagan to seek help, the officer said.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/304777,belgian-environmentalist-four-others-rescued-in-philippine-forest.html.