Man on power lines evades rescuers for 29 hours

MANILA, Philippines — After over 29 hours, a man who climbed a Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) substation line in Marikina City on Tuesday was rescued by personnel of the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) yesterday.

The man was brought down from the tower in Barangay Calumpang at past 4 p.m. when BFP rescuers grabbed him by his legs.

He put up a fight, but rescuers managed to bring him to a fire truck’s ladder. They transferred the man to an ambulance, which brought him to a hospital.

Firefighters led by city fire marshal Supt. Nestor Gorio waited patiently for the opportunity to rescue the individual, who climbed the tower at the corner of Tambuli and Old JP Rizal streets.

The man climbed the transmission line at around 11:10 a.m. on Tuesday, according to a report from the BFP.

He transferred from one tower to another by walking on electrical cables to avoid BFP personnel who were trying to grab him.

To prevent him from being electrocuted, electricity was cut off in Barangays Calumpang, Barangka and San Roque.

The man’s siblings came to the area and helped rescuers convince him to go down.

At least 4,000 houses, commercial establishments and a school in Marikina had no electricity, GMA News reported.