ITOGON, Benguet – Hundreds of rescuers and volunteers are now conducting massive search and rescue operations to save two pocket miners who were reportedly trapped inside their tunnel after a huge landslide at Antamok, Ucab here around 4:30 pm Thursday.
Superintendent Cherry Fajardo, public information officer of the Police Regional Office (PrO) in the Cordillera, identified the trapped pocket miners as Jonas Isang, 24, single, miner, a native in Cabiten, Mankayan, Benguet and Eddie Latigo, 50, married, miner both residents of Tram, Ucab, Itogon, Benguet .
It was learned that the two private pocket miners went inside their working area considering that the weather was good Thursday afternoon but a huge landslide buried the entrance of their tunnel that caused them to be trapped inside.
Rescue operations are still underway as of press time and volunteers from various small-scale mining associations and government agencies are in the area working hard to save the lives of the trapped miners.
By Dexter A. See