2 kids die in burning garbage pit

Two boys, aged seven and 11, died after falling into a 10-foot smoking garbage pit in an abandoned property formerly owned by a paper factory last Monday afternoon in Caloocan City.

Senior Superintendent Virgilio Espija, outgoing city police chief, identified the victims as Jimboy Torres, 11, and Lorenzo Dominic Tyson Traqueña Jr., 7, both of Lucas Cuadra Extension, Sta. Quiteria, Caloocan City.

Northern Police District-Scene of the Crime Operations (NPD-SOCO) chief Superintendent Vladimir Villaseñor, who did the autopsy, said Traqueña died from asphyxia, or suffocation due to smoke inhalation, while Torres succumbed to severe burns in most parts of the body.

Senior Inspector Jesse de la Rosa, SOCO team leader, said Traqueña was retrieved alive from the excavation at the 70-hectare property formerly owned by the Manila Paper Mills along Quirino Highway at around 1 p.m. and was taken to the nearest hospital for treatment.

Espija, on his penultimate day as city police chief, led the recovery operations at the site, assisted by the local fire bureau headed by fire marshal Chief Inspector Juan Reyes.

Torres’ body was retrieved some 12 hours later by the Special RECOM Rescue Unit of Caloocan City.

Confusion leads to delay

De la Rosa said the boys fell into the hole between noon to 1 p.m. last Monday, but the police only got wind of the tragedy at 7:30 p.m. the same day.

The lag was blamed on the location where the tragedy happened.

"The people were in a quandary as to who to call for assistance," said De la Rosa.

The area where the incident happened lies on the Caloocan side of the property, specifically Baragay 163 in Barangay Sta. Quiteria.

Kagawad Pedro de Jesus, of Barangay 415, Talipapa, said the property, reportedly foreclosed by a bank some 10 years ago, straddles the Caloocan-Quezon boundary and sits on at least three barangays, two of them, Talipapa and Sangandaan, both in Quezon City.

The paper mill pays its taxes to Quezon City, which is also its official business address.

PCP-2 operatives nearest to the area received a call from Barangay 163 officials.

Officers on the beat then called SOCO for assistance.

Espija personally went to the area to oversee rescue operations.

Probers said the Traqueña was the first to be retrieved from the burning garbage hole. The rescue team retrieved Torres’ charred body in several pieces.

Witnesses told conflicting stories to the police.

One group said the two boys were bringing food for the young boy’s father, who was scavenging for junk metal at several garbage pits at the site.

Another group said the two were scavenging for scrap themselves when they fell.

The meter-wide, three-meter deep pits, local residents told probers, used to be excavations dug for assorted garbage used by the paper factory and allegedly also contained toxic chemicals used in papermaking.

"Halos lahat, mga 12 siguro, ng mga butas ay umuusuok. Hindi malinaw kung spontaneous combustion or sinindihan lang nila. Hinuhukay daw na mga bakal o tanso na ipinagbibili sa mga katabing junkshop," De la Rosa told The STAR.

De Jesus said he ordered the gates of the property closed at all times to discourage others from further going to the site after the tragic incident.