Thursday, June 15, 2017

Search Ongoing For Korean Who Went Missing While Hiking In Cordillera Mountains

Members of the Philippine National Police, personnel of the Mountain Province Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (PDRRMC), volunteers, and concerned citizens are still trying to locate the whereabouts of a South Korean traveler who went missing in the mountains of the Cordillera region several days ago.

Here's a quick overview of the circumstances surrounding the Korean national's disappearance:
1. Choi Sungkyu arrived at the town of Barlig in Mt. Province on the evening of June 7.

2. Two days later, on June 9, he checked out of the inn where he stayed. His plan was to climb Mt Amuyao and hike his way to Batad in the nearby province of Ifugao. He was seen on this day within the vicinity of barangay Latang in Barlig. He was heading to the direction of barangay Pula in Banaue, Ifugao.

3. On June 13, policemen from Barlig were able to contact Sungkyu through his mobile phone. They asked for his location. Sungkyu said that he was in a place surrounded by pine trees and that he was feeling very weak. Sungkyu also told the policemen that he has to turn off his phone to conserve the battery.

4. On June 14, the Barlig police was alerted by the Korean Embassy that Sungkyu is still alive and that he was near a big rock in the mountains.

5. Search teams were immediately dispatched to areas along Sungkyu's route that had large rock formations. The teams weren't able to locate him. The teams combed through sitios Ammiw and Furud in Latang but Sungkyu was nowhere to be found.
© Daniel Feliciano / The Cordilleran Sun
The search for the missing Korean is ongoing. Some Korean nationals also coordinated with the PDRRMC to help with the search and rescue operations. Officials in Banaue have also been informed and are doing their own search for the missing hiker.