The Philippine Air Force (PAF) has joined multi-agency search and rescue operations following the collapse of a portion of the Agana Bridge in Tarlac on Saturday, August 29.
The incident sent a Toyota Avanza carrying five passengers plunging into the river below.
Emergency responders successfully recovered one passenger, who was immediately rushed to the Tarlac Provincial Hospital. Operations are actively ongoing to locate the four remaining missing individuals.
Responding teams from the PAF’s Tactical Operations Wing Northern Luzon and Tactical Operations Group 3 (TOG 3) mobilized alongside personnel from the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO), the 3rd Mechanized Infantry Battalion, the 522nd Engineer Construction Battalion and the 7th Civil-Military Operations Battalion. Upon arriving at the scene, joint forces focused search efforts near the vicinity of the Aquino Bridge, where the victims were last spotted.
Government units remain on the ground conducting intensive search and retrieval efforts, with the PAF reinforcing its commitment to provide immediate airlift, rescue and logistics support during emergencies and disasters.