A Batangas resident who went missing after Taal erupted last month was found dead over the weekend, buried in volcanic ash and mud on the volcano island.
The discovery of Marlon Deteral’s body on Saturday coincided with his 26th birthday, his sister Bernadette Valenzuela told ABS-CBN News.
Batangas police chief Col. Edwin Quilates said an unidentified former resident went to the island to search for his boat despite the area having been declared a permanent danger zone by the government. The boatman found Deteral’s body at around 12:30pm at an unspecified location near his boat, the Philippine Daily Inquirer reports.
The victim’s stepfather Christopher Deteral was able to identify Marlon through his necklace and a tattoo on his left arm, CNN Philippines reports.
The 26-year-old resident of Alas Village in San Nicolas town was said to be on the island to attend a wedding on the day Taal erupted. His sister said Deteral stayed behind to check on their family but hadn’t been heard from since.
As of this morning, Taal’s volcanic activity remains at Alert Level 2, which means it’s displaying a moderate level of volcanic unrest. The alert level was downgraded from Alert Level 3 on Friday after volcanologists witnessed a decrease in sulfur emissions and earthquakes.
Authorities, however, are still prohibiting entry into Taal Volcano Island.
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