AGONCILLO, Batangas, Philippines — The body of a man who went missing during the Jan. 12 phreatic eruption of Taal Volcano was found on Volcano Island, now considered a permanent danger zone.
Batangas police chief Col. Edwin Quilates said the body was found at around 12:30 p.m. Saturday and was later identified to be that of Marlon Deteral, 26.
Deteral was identified through a tattoo of a parrot by his stepfather, Christopher Deteral, said Quilates.
His body was found buried under mud and ash by a boatman, who went to the island to look for and dig up his boat despite government restriction.
Deteral, a resident of Barangay Alas-as, San Nicolas town, was reportedly on the island attending a wedding on the day of the eruption.
His relatives, however, did not report him missing to the authorities.
Batangas disaster response chief Lito Castro said he was still waiting for police’s investigation into Deteral’s death before his office could officially declare him the first and so far sole fatality in the eruption.
Police, however, said another man, an Alexander Dando Jr., was reported missing during the eruption and had not been found yet.
/atm