German lady drowns, team hurt in Chico River expedition

BONTOC, Mountain Province – A German national drowned along the Chico River here Tuesday around 10:30 a.m. when the raft she was riding on along with three other Germans and three guides one of whom was a foreigner overturned.   

A police report said the incident happened at at SitioChaklikanChakso, Bontoc Ili identifying the fatality as Judith Kiesl, 28. 

Other Germans were identified as Arian Grischa Herbig, 30; Christoph Sebastian Kaufmann, 28; Paul Jonathan Roch, 28 all residents of Claustorwall 33, Goslar, Dasselstr 55, Cologui, Alh Eppelheimer St, 27, 69115, Heidelberg, Germany.

Their rafting guides were Steven Rogers, 57, married, foreign national; Frenzel Sumeg-ang and Alfred Batnag Bacagan, 39, both residents of Sagada town.

Investigation disclosed around 8:30 a.m. that day, the group was rafting along the Chico River starting here from Dantay, Alab Oriente.

Upon reaching Sitio Chaklikan Chakso, their raft accidentally hit a rock causing it to tilt and they all fell to the river.

They were able to swim to the river bank except for Kiesl who was missing during their accounting.

Rescuers together with her companions searched the area and retrieved her underwater inserted between the two stones.

She was brought to Bontoc General Hospital but was declared dead on arrival by her attending physician while the others who sustained slight injuries were treated at the same hospital.

Cause of death is due to hypoxia, aspiration and drowning. The cadaver was brought to Baguio City and brought to the German Embassy in Manila.