Bodies of 2 German climbers airlifted to Legazpi City

RESTIVE A mushroom of volcanic ash shoots up to the sky as Mayon Volcano spewed huge rocks and ash after daybreak Tuesday, killing at least five climbers and trapping more than a dozen others near the crater. AP FILE PHOTO

LEGAZPI CITY, Philippines—Sealed in cavader bags, the bodies of two German nationals who died on Mayon following an explosion of ash and steam on Tuesday were finally brought down from the volcano and flown by a Philippine Air Force helicopter to the airport here at past noon Thursday.

The two bodies, which arrived at the airport here at 1:17 p.m., could not yet be identified as the retrieval team still had no way of matching the bodies to the names of the four German climbers killed in Tuesday’s phreatic explosion on Mayon, according to local authorities.

The German fatalities were earlier identified as Joanne Edosa, Roland Pietieze, Farah Frances and Furian Stelter.

Their guide, Jerome Berin, who worked for Bicol Adventures which organized the climb, was also killed. His remains were the first to be retrieved from the volcano early Thursday and have been brought to the Funeraria Nuestra Senora de Salvacion in the city.

The remains of the two German nationals were also transported to the same funeral parlor.

Information as to the bodies of the two other German nationals was not immediately available.