18 sightseers rescued after rain causes river to surge

Manila: Search and rescue workers in Pagsanjan, a town in Laguna province, south of Manila, rescued 18 foreign and local tourists who spent several hours trapped inside a cave near a well known tourist attraction.

A television report aired by the GMA Network said the group comprising Koreans, Japanese and Filipinos were in the vicinity of the Pagsanjan Falls around late afternoon when a heavy downpour caused a sudden rise in the river level in the area. The flooding cut off the tourists as well as their boatmen, who doubled as their guides, in the cave.

A police officer was quoted in the GMA News TV report as saying the tourists had been trapped inside the "Demon Cave" by the rising floodwaters.

The stranded group seemed to be in serious peril from the fast-rising waters and police and local officials decided to seek the assistance of soldiers from the nearby army garrison and the Red Cross.

A rescue party was promptly dispatched and, by late evening, five of the trapped tourists had been rescued. The remaining members of the party could only be reached after dawn.

The Pagsanjan Falls had seen a blip in tourist traffic after being associated with foreign paedophiles.

However, Mayor Er Ejercito recently embarked on a programme to revive the image of the town by embarking on aggressive tourism projects highlighting its wholesome tourist attractions.