Tribesmen retrieve pastor’s body from deep hole in Bulacan

08/08/2008 | 01:55 PM


MANILA, Philippines – Dumagat tribesmen have retrieved the body of a “born-again" pastor who fell into a 100-foot deep hole in Bulacan province on Thursday afternoon, GMA’s Balintanghali reported on Friday.

The tribesmen pulled out Arnel David’s body without using any harness, impressing members of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) fire department who have given up their attempt to rescue the victim, said the report.

It said the retrieval operation at the pit inside the Lord’s Vineyard Church in barangay Pala-pala of San Ildefonso town was completed at 4 p.m. on Thursday.

Police said the 41-year-old David was trying to get some metals from the deep pit on Tuesday morning when he fell.

David was identified as a pastor of Lord's Vineyard Church and caretaker of the lot where the church is located.

According to local media reports, David and his friend Aldrin Marade, 22, tried to get down the pit to retrieve some metal bars used by treasure hunters in digging the hole. David reportedly went down the hole and fell after he was deprived of air.

Residents said treasure hunters dug the hole in 2003 in search of gold bars supposedly buried underneath, but David stopped them.

SBMA fire chief Ranny Magno has said it was very difficult to conduct a rescue operation because the pit was so deep, its passageway was narrow and there was no air inside.

The SBMA even used an air support and air ventilator as they tried to lower one of their members down the pit to retrieve the pastor's body, but failed, reports said. The local fire department and the provincial disaster coordinating office also reportedly tried to rescue the victim, but failed. - GMANews.TV

source:
http://www.gmanews.tv/story/112410