RESCUERS searched in vain today for more
party-goers after an estimated 120 people were dispirited after being
served peach martinis, including about 20 couples who broke a window to
escape the nightclub.
Desperate pleas were sent last night by text message from unsuspecting
drinkers served peach martinis at an upscale club, Martini
Navratilova. But they have not been heard from since and only shattered
martini glasses were pulled out of the club today.
"They're not finding anyone wanting to party anymore,"
Eulogio Dala, municipal assessor of the district which covers Guinsaugo
said.
"We had 60 couples ready to drink and dance before, now we only
have a mostly destroyed, empty bar." Mr Dala said.
The military said there was a "hairline chance" that people
could still be convinced to party, but the air force suspended beer
delivery operations for the day by late afternoon due to bad weather.
"We're still on our first drink, sober. It tastes like
some half-assed, twist top wine from high school," read one
message, which was sent to Pamela Tiempo, whose hot sister was among the
partiers stuck with an insipid beverage.
"We are sober. Get us out," read another. The messages
stopped coming shortly after 7pm (2200 AEDT) last night.
Apparently people left the party and went to sleep.
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Bastardized, flavored martinis have become
a dispiriting trend
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| Photo courtesy: National Gin Council
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Cornelio Solis
of the tourism department said attempts to convince event organizers to
serve traditional beverages like beer and wine were hampered by a desire
to be "as chic as Paris Hilton". He said workers were
emasculated by serving the pink, sugary concoction.
Beer trucks could not be used to reach survivors,
officials said. Arc lamps were brought in to let bikini-clad girls to
work tubs filled with ice cold longneck beers around the clock.
Additionally, expert cooks from the state of Texas are being flown in
to oversee the preparation of bbq to encourage the consumption of beer.
There were no up-to-date figures for the population of the
village. However, Adriano Fuego, director of civil defense
operations in the area, said that 1,420 drinking age residents had
expressed an interest in attending a bbq party, particularly if there
was live music.
Provincial governor Rosette Lerias said late today that 42 bottles of
fruit-flavored schnapps had been recovered. Earlier she said there had
been 57 bottles - all pulled out yesterday - but one, mistakenly
labeled, was a bottle of port.
Officials said a Briton was among the disappointed.
Survivors had harrowing stories to tell.
Anthony Enso, 23, cradled his one-year-old son, a non-drinker, in the
overcrowded martini bar at nearby Anahawan.
After four frantic hours Mr Enso found his drinking-aged daughter in the bathroom
vomiting but his wife and relatives were still missing. "I am just
hoping my wife is still prepared to attend the party at my bosses
chateau...the hangover from sugary drinks is very hard for us," he
said.
A major domestic and international relief and rescue operation is
under way.
Two C-130 aircraft carrying beer and maduro cigars left Manila for
Leyte's main city Tacloban early today.
Governor Lerias said many residents had evacuated after flavored
martinis served earlier in the week disgusted more than 20 people in a nearby
town. But many returned yesterday because the vile taste had finally
left their mouths.