ITOGON, Benguet – Three miners were buried alive while a 16-year old boy was injured after a 100-meter landslide buried their shanty at Camp 5, Acupan, Virac, late Sunday evening.
Mayor Bernard S. Waclin said that the fatalities were asleep in their shanty at around 6:30 Sunday evening when the landslide which was possibly triggered by the continuous strong rains buried their shanty.
Witnesses said that a sudden erosion occurred at the upper part of the slope above the shanty of the victims that resulted to the said landslide that eventually buried the shanty where the victims were situated.
The teenager was able to survive the tragic incident and was able to seek assistance from the barangay, the Itogon Municipal Police Station, Itogon Municipal Fire Station, Itogon Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and management Office, residents and volunteers who immediately conducted search and rescue operations in the said area.
It took two hours for rescuers to retrieve the bodies of the victims which were immediately brought to the Benguet Corporation (BC) medical clinic for possible treatment but they were declared dead on arrival by attending physicians.
The fatalities were identified as Joemarie Alila Tigibon, 30, Jomer Alila Tigibon, both pocket miners and natives of Donsol, Sorsogon and Ramil Padseco, 24, also a pocket miner and a native of Atok, Benguet.
HENT
