13 Mt. Apo climbers stranded by heavy rain rescued.

KIDAPAWAN CITY, Philippines – A local emergency response team rescued on Monday afternoon 13 mountaineers stranded due to a heavy downpour at the foot of Mt. Apo while about to start a daylong trek to its peak.

Joey Recemilla, Kidapawan City tourism officer, said the mountaineers sought the help of the local rescue group when they realized they could no longer cross the Marbol River that had overflowed amid the heavy rainfall.

Recemilla said the stranded mountain climbers came from the cities of Davao and Surigao and Metro Manila. Rescuers helped them cross the river using a harness.

The city government opened the trails to Mt. Apo last Sept. 30 for this year’s trek season, but heavy rains have beset mountaineers.

Recemilla said they were expecting at least 1,500 mountaineers to climb Mt. Apo during the “Octo Trek,” which they launched last week.