All missing foreigners in Negros Oriental rescued

SAFE AND SOUND Troops from the 11th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army and civilian rescuers pose with the four foreign hikers they rescued in remote Barangay Silab, Amlan, Negros Oriental on March 22, 2025. The hikers went missing March 19 after getting lost on the trail with two other companions, who were rescued two days later. PNA/11IB, PHILIPPINE ARMY PHOTO

The Valencia Municipal Police Station reported said that the remaining four earlier reported missing during a trek in Valencia, Negros Oriental have been rescued at Sitio Kanguntol, Barangay Silab in the neighboring Amlan town on Saturday afternoon, March 22.

The rescued hikers were identified as Germans Wolfgang Schlenker, 67, and Aldwin Fink, 60; Russian Anton Chernov, 38; and a Canadian identified only as Terry.

They were separated from their two companions on their way to Balinsasayao Twin Lakes Natural Park on Wednesday, March 19. The two were rescued Friday.

The search and rescue operation was conducted by a joint police, army, fire and disaster response team.

Alexander Radvanyl, a 60-year-old British, and Torsten Martin Groschupp, a 58-year-old German, were no longer with them.

Radvanyl and Groschupp were rescued on Friday afternoon somewhere in the Balinsasayao Twin Lakes vicinity after they were found by two residents there.

Radvanyl and Groschupp told authorities they got separated from the four others around 2 p.m. on Wednesday, hours after they first set off on foot for a day hike at Sitio Lunas in Barangay Malabo, Valencia, but was unable to communicate with the others or their families since there was no mobile phone signal in the mountains.

His live-in partner, Lenni Godinez, filed a missing persons report on Wednesday evening after the group failed to return at the end of the day, but was told to wait for 24 hours based on police protocol.

Lt. Col. Michael Aquino, commanding officer of the 11th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army, said he dispatched two teams at daybreak to search for the four.

"The troops, accompanied by some civilian rescue volunteers, followed a creek until they came across the missing hikers at an area about one kilometer away from the hydropower plant in Barangay Silab around 9:45 in the morning," Aquino said.

Aquino allayed public speculations that the foreigners were kidnapped by armed elements, saying they have cleared the area of New People's Army (NPA) rebels for years.

Three were ambulatory, while Chernov had to be carried on a stretcher as he showed signs of hypothermia and complained of knee pain.

The group was taken to a nearby hut, where they were given warm drinks, food and blankets.

Aquino said the foreigners survived for three days with whatever edible food they could find along the way.

Rescue vehicles and ambulances from the Amlan Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office transported the hikers down the mountain around 11 a.m. and then brought to the Negros Oriental Provincial Hospital in Dumaguete City.

The foreigners said they were "shocked" to discover their two other companions.

Aquino said locating the hikers was challenging due to the vast expanse of the Mt. Talinis mountain range, which traverses multiple towns.

Using GPS (global positioning system), Army troops were able to estimate the probable location of the four, based on information and photos provided by Radvanyl and Groschupp.

With no mobile or internet signal in the area, rescuers relied on hand-held radios for communication.

The trekkers have been brought to Negros Oriental Provincial Hospital for a thorough medical assessment.