Army sends four teams for search, rescue, retrieval in Bicol

January 6, 2019

The Philippine Army augmented four additional teams for the search, rescue and retrieval (SRR) operations in Bicol on Saturday

Four teams from the 525th Engineer Combat Battalion of the 51st Engineer Brigade were deployed as ordered by Lieutenant General Macairog Alberto, commanding general of the Philippine Army.

The additional teams will work with rescue teams from Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, Philippine National Police (PNP) and Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) in the areas heavily affected by landslides and flooding caused by Tropical Depression "Usman."

Fatalities caused by ''Usman'' climbed to 126, with 26 missing, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (NDRRMC).

Crop damage was estimated at P900 million and P3.3 billion damage to infrastructure reported in Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon), Mimaropa (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, Palawan), Bicol and Eastern Visayas.

Rescue equipment, medical supplies, carpentry tools, cadaver bags, folding beds, shovels and portable generators will be supplied by the Philippine Army. Cristina Eloisa Baclig/DMS