1 of 4 Filipino soldiers rescued from collapsed Haiti hotel

One of the four soldiers trapped inside a collapsed hotel after a devastating earthquake hit Haiti has already been rescued, according to the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

AFP spokesman Lt. Col. Romeo Brawner Jr. said Corporal David Catacutan was hauled out of the Montana Hotel in Haiti around 11:30 a.m. today.

Catacutan, a member of the Philippine contingent forces in Haiti, sustained slight contusions due to the incident, which was triggered by a magnitude-7.2 earthquake yesterday. He was already brought to his detachment to rest and recuperate from his injuries.

Three other Filipino military personnel — Perlie Panague of the Philippine Navy, Sgt. Janice Arocena of the Air Force and Sgt. Eustacio Bermudes Jr. of the Army — have yet to be accounted for.

But Brawner expressed confidence that they will rescue other Filipino soldiers who remain trapped in Christopher Hotel where the UN headquarters is located.

"The family has been informed about the rescue and last night the members of the families of the others were informed also that their member is still missing but we are hopeful that we will be able to rescue the three others who were believed to be trapped at the second floor of the Christopher building," the AFP spokesman said.

The four are members of the 157-strong peacekeeping contingent in Haiti. - By Dennis Carcamo (Philstar News Service, www.philstar.com)