MANILA, Philippines — Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Commandant Admiral George V. Ursabia Jr. on Tuesday ordered to deploy K9 teams for the ongoing search and rescue (SAR) operation following a landslide at a mining pit in Toledo, Cebu on Monday, which killed three miners.
According to PCG in a statement posted on its Facebook page, a K9 team that consisted of four personnel and two working dogs was initially deployed by Commander of the Coast Guard K9 Force Commodore Nelson B Torre.
The dispatched K9 team was sent to aid the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO) in search of the seven missing individuals in the collapsed mining pit.
“We have several SAR K9 teams on standby in Manila for further deployment, if necessary. We are already coordinating the issuance of their health clearances so they may safely and swiftly travel to Cebu right after augmentation request from the CDRRMO,” said Torre.
PCG said additional K9 teams from the Coast Guard District Eastern Visayas are also expected to join the search and rescue operations later this day.
READ: Toledo LGU to start search, rescue in collapsed mining pit