MANILA: A free climber known as the “French Spiderman” scaled a Manila skyscraper on Tuesday to support the Philippines’ maritime claims in the disputed South China Sea.
Frenchman Alain Robert, who has scaled more than 150 structures worldwide, including Dubai’s Burj Khalifa and France’s Eiffel Tower, drew a crowd and disrupted traffic in the Philippine capital’s financial district.
He climbed the 47-story GT Tower without a harness, and was promptly arrested after successfully descending from the skyscraper.
Robert said he climbed to raise awareness on the maritime disputes between the Philippines and China in the South China Sea.
“I know that there is tension, you know, with the Philippine Sea, and then just to remind people that the sea and the islands belongs to the Philippines and no one else, so that’s the purpose of my ascent today,” Robert said, without explaining why he was drawn to the cause.
Robert climbed the same skyscraper in 2019. He was arrested and $18 for his stunt.
The Philippines accused China of “dangerous maneuvers” on Tuesday that led to a collision between its coast guard ship and a Chinese vessel.
The incident was the latest in a series of maritime run-ins between the Philippines and China, which have been locked in a territorial dispute in the South China Sea despite a 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration which found that China’s claims had no legal basis. Beijing rejects that ruling.
Manila financial district employee Andy Vergarra, who watched Robert’s ascent, said his climb was “very frightening”.
“Just watching him up there already makes me sweat. It’s making me squeamish,” Vergarra said.
French ‘Spiderman’ scales tower to support Philippines’ South China Sea claims
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French ‘Spiderman’ scales tower to support Philippines’ South China Sea claims
Small dog sole survivor of Peru helicopter crash that killed 15
- Rescue workers found the caramel-colored dog among the twisted wreckage of the Mi-17 helicopter
- Local media reported that the dog appeared OK, but as a precaution was taken to a veterinary clinic
LIMA: The only survivor of a military helicopter crash in southern Peru that killed 15 people was a small dog belonging to a colonel who was among the passengers, an air force source told AFP Tuesday.
Rescue workers found the caramel-colored dog among the twisted wreckage of the Mi-17 helicopter that crashed Sunday. It was lying next to the body of its owner, Col. Javier Nole, 50, who was on board with his wife and two daughters.
“It’s Col. Nole’s pet; it’s the only survivor,” the source, who requested anonymity, told AFP.
Local media reported that the dog appeared OK, but as a precaution was taken to a veterinary clinic.
Seven children were among the 15 fatalities when the Russian-made aircraft crashed in the Arequipa region. The helicopter had been recently deployed in rescue operations for victims of floods there.
It had taken off from the city of Pisco, in the Ica region. Rescuers located the wreckage on Monday just over 300 kilometers (186 miles) away near Chala Viejo, a town close to the Pacific coast in Arequipa.
The air force has launched an investigation to determine the cause of the accident.
