Mining pit collapses, four miners killed
CALUYA, ANTIQUE , Philippines — Three miners were confirmed dead following a landslide at 12:54 a.m. yesterday in a coal mine at Semirara Island in this town.
Superintendent Marloe Marfil, Antique Police chief, identified the fatalities as Leovigildo Porras, a foreman, and Abner Lim, Efren Equiza and Joven Hocate.
Their bodies were retrieved from the Panian open-pit mine, the area where the Semirara Coal and Mining Corp., a company owned by David M. Consunji, Inc. (DMCI), operates.
The victims were among the 13 miners trapped in the 30-hectare coal mine.
Marfil said that, after the incident, personnel from the mining company rescued three miners – Marjun Catoto, Adrian Celmar and Leonardo Sojor. Two of them were brought to the Semirara Infirmary for treatment while the other one with severe injuries was airlifted to Metro Manila.
According to Chief Supt. Agrimero Cruz, Jr., director of Police Regional Office-6, the landslide occurred after continuous rain in the area. “Yung stock pile na nakuha na ng mga minero ay bumagsak sa seam ng mining pit kaya nag-collapse at nagka-landslide,†he added.
Rescue operations were still conducted to save seven equipment operators or workers identified as Georgie Bragat, Jan Riel Planca, Randy Tamparong, Richard Padernilla, Anthony Siblet and Junjie Gomez.
This early, though, Marfil said rescuers might just be conducting retrieval operations. “Around 30-40 meters of soil covered the open-pit mine. Pero sana, we’re still hoping and praying, na may nakaligtas pa,†he added.
Semirara Island, which is located approximately 280 kilometers to the south of Manila, has been considered the biggest coal producers in the country.
According to earthobservatory.nasa.gov, the northern part of the island is dominated by the Panian Coalfield, the largest of three coalfields on the island, using open-pit methods.
Most of the coal is used for energy generation in the Philippines, with some exported to India and China. (FREEMAN)
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