Foreign retrieval teams pulling out of Tacloban

MANILA, Philippines - Foreign units deployed to help retrieve cadavers in Tacloban City, including a K-9 unit from the United States, are pulling out from the area next week, the commander of the joint task force said yesterday.

The scheduled pullout of the foreign retrieval team from the Netherlands, the US K-9 Unit and the team deployed by the South Korean government could hamper ongoing efforts of the task force, headed by Bureau of Fire Protection Senior Superintendent Pablito Cordeta, to recover more bodies from the debris in the city that was devastated by Super Typhoon Yolanda last Nov. 8.

“We are now calling for volunteers who have trained dogs to come forward and assist us in our continuing retrieval operations,” Cordeta said.

He said the foreign teams played a major role in recovering bodies of typhoon victims in the aftermath of the storm.

Lt. Gen. John Wissler, head of the Task Force 505 under Operation Damayan of the US troops in the Visayas, had recommended the pull out of the US team before Dec. 1 as the relief mission is already shifting to the recovery phase as announced by the Philippine government.

Wissler is the commander of the 3rd Marine Expeditionary that spearheaded the US relief operations in the Visayas.