Four foreign hikers rescued in Negros Oriental after 3 days

DAVAO CITY —The four remaining foreign hikers who went missing earlier this week in the Mt. Talinis mountain range were successfully rescued on Saturday morning, March 23, in the mountainous village of Silab, Amlan, Negros Oriental.

The rescued individuals were identified as Wolfgang Schlenker, 67, and Aldwin Fink, 60, both German nationals; Anton Chernov, 38, a Russian; and a Canadian national identified as Terry. All are residents of Valencia town.

The group had become separated from their two companions—Alexander Radvanyl, 60, a British national, and Torsten Martin Groschupp, 58, a German—en route to Balinsasayao Twin Lakes Natural Park on Wednesday. Two local residents near the park rescued Radvanyl and Groschupp on Friday afternoon.

According to Lt. Col. Michael Aquino, commanding officer of the 11th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army, two Army teams, accompanied by civilian rescue volunteers, were dispatched at daybreak on Saturday to continue the search. They traced a creek in Barangay Silab and found the missing hikers at around 9:45 a.m., roughly one kilometer from a nearby hydropower plant.

“Three of them were ambulatory, but Anton Chernov had to be carried on a stretcher due to symptoms of hypothermia and knee pain,” Aquino said.

The hikers were initially brought to a nearby hut, receiving warm drinks, food, and blankets. They recounted surviving for three days on limited resources, consuming edible plants and items they could forage.

By 11:00 a.m., rescue vehicles and ambulances from the Amlan Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (DRRMO) transported the group down the mountain and to the Negros Oriental Provincial Hospital in Dumaguete City for medical evaluation and care.

In a brief interview, the rescued hikers said they were “shocked” to learn that their two companions had already been found, as they had lost contact with them during the trek.

Aquino noted the operation’s complexity due to the vast and rugged terrain of the Mt. Talinis range, which spans several towns. The Army used GPS mapping and geolocation data, aided by photos and information provided by Radvanyl and Groschupp, to estimate the probable location of the missing hikers.

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

Authorities praised the collaborative effort of the military, civilian volunteers, and local government units, which led to the safe recovery of all six missing hikers.