Azkals tackling their way out of quake-hit Japan

The Azkals shuffle through several plane, train and bus rides as they make their way out of quake-and-tsunami-hit Japan to sub-zero Mongolia for their game against the Blue Wolves on Tuesday.

On Saturday morning, GMA News Online spoke with Philippine Football Federation (PFF) president Nonong Araneta about the Azkals' plans to get to Mongolia after the devastating quake and tsunami that hit Japan where the team was training.

Araneta said the team will take the bus from their camp in Gotemba City to Mishima Station in Shizuoka Prefecture. From there, the team will take a one-hour bullet train ride to Tokyo, then a bus to Narita airport where the team will meet defender, Jason Sabio.

Sabio's flight arrived safely at Narita airport Friday afternoon after the earthquake struck.

According to Araneta, afternoon flights from Narita have been resumed, and the Azkals' flight to Ulan Bator is scheduled to leave Tokyo at 7:20pm Saturday.

Azkal midfielder Simon Greatwich, who was stranded in Osaka, will go to Incheon City, South Korea to take a direct flight to Ulan Bator Saturday. Greatwich's flight Friday to Tokyo was diverted to Osaka.

The rest of the Azkals are expected to get to Ulan Bator at 12:55pm (early Sunday morning).

The Azkals went to Japan to conduct their high-altitude training in Gotemba City (with an elevation of 1,500 feet), on the eastern foot of Mount Fuji, south of Tokyo.

They have been in Gotemba City since Monday as part of their training to acclimatize themselves to the cold Mongolian temperature for the second leg of their 2012 AFC Challenge Cup qualifying match against the Blue Wolves, the Mongolian national team, on Tuesday, March 15.

The United States Geological Survey estimated the earthquake's epicenter at 130 kilometers (km) east of Sendai, Honshu; 178 km east of Yamagata, Honshu; 178 km east-northeast of Fukushima, Honshu; or 373 km northeast of Tokyo-- Odi M. de Guzman and Miakka J. Lim, GMA News

GMA News