2 confirmed dead : Hope fades for 14 Benguet miners trapped in tunnel

By Mydz Supnad, Dexter See and AD

ITOGON, Benguet -- Hopes are fading for 14 gold miners still trapped in a flooded tunnel in this mining town even as rescuers found the bloated bodies of two of 16 miners trapped for three days in an underground gold mine here, officials said.

As of press time, the rescuers had retrieved one of the bodies and were trying to get the other.

Search and rescue operations were still ongoing for the 14 miners believed trapped in a small-scale mine at Goldfield, Antamok who were trapped after rain brought about by Typhoon Nina washed mud down into their tunnel.

The trapped miners were identified as Gilbert Nattem, a native of Banaue, Ifugao; Rudy Boling of Bangaan, Ifugao; Garry Ganu, Joel Bulga, Jeyson Himmayod, Rudy Himmayod, Jojo Himmayod, Juan Himmayod, Marvin Himmayod, and Vincent Himmayod of Quirino province; Joseph Anayasan and Mario Anayasan of Bauko, Mountain Province; Gerry Monyobda of Ifugao, and Robert Buway of Itogon, Benguet.

Officials initially reported 13 miners went into the mine shafts last Monday amid typhoon “Nina” that rapidly flooded the tunnels in the northern mountain town of Itogon.

Witnesses and relatives told officials Thursday three other men were also missing there.

Neoman de la Cruz, Cordillera director of the Mines and Geosciences Bureau said two teams of rescuers tried on Wednesday to find the miners, believed to be trapped about 120 to 210 meters underground, but backed off due to floods and low oxygen supply in one tunnel
George Baywong, another MGB official, said other miners could be alive but said they would soon run out of food and water and that the scant air was weakening them.

Nearly 100 volunteers from gold mining companies in the area, along with police and the Red Cross, were helping in the rescue efforts. Red Cross officials brought underwater cameras, electric generators and safety gear to the site Thursday.

Rescue teams were hampered by the huge volume of water and methane gas inside the tunnel leading to level 700 of the Antamok mine where the miners were said to be trapped.

The teams lacked the needed 440-volt submersible pump to remove the water from the tunnel.
Rescue teams were continuing to have difficulty with the strong current of water from the mini lake in the vicinity of the mine while fears mounted for the safety of the miners who have been trapped since Tuesday to date.

Investigation showed landslides at Sitio Tuge and Vida in nearby Luacan barangay triggered the collapse of a wall along a diversion tunnel resulting in the buildup of water at the Antamok mine site.

“Their chances of surviving are low,” said Chief Supt. Eugene Martin, Cordillera police director, told the media saying the trapped miners did not have oxygen supply when water flooded the tunnels.

Dela Cruz, who was overseeing the rescue effort, said they were still optimistic they could reach the trapped miners.

He said their efforts were hampered by equipment breakdowns and a lack of sufficient oxygen for the rescuers trying to dig the miners out.

Benguet Gov. Nestor Fongwan also expressed hope that the 13 miners were still alive.

In Manila, Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Lito Atienza said the trapped miners “illegally entered” the tunnel in the abandoned mining area.

“This is an abandoned tunnel that used to be active and it is obviously still an attractive place for those who are just waiting to do some small-scale mining effort,” he said.

Meanwhile, the collapse at the diversion tunnel also led to the sinking of 50- hectare area in Luacan resulting in damage to 90 houses.

The Cordillera MGB earlier identified the area as unstable and warned residents not to build houses there.

The underground tunnels, dug decades ago, were abandoned in the late 1990s by a gold mining company, which posted guards at two entrances to prevent accidents. The trapped miners dug a narrow passageway to gain access to the tunnels, Baywong said.