Miner trapped underground for 4 days found alive

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet -- A lone pocket miner in Bokod town was found alive after being trapped underground since August 2. Rescue operations for Felipe Pilmaco, 33, are ongoing.

“He is alive and we hope to get him out soon,” Governor Nestor Fongwan said.

Pilmaco was trapped inside a private small-scale mine in Coros, Bila, Bokod. He was mining in the area despite orders to halt small-scale mining amid Typhoon Gener that ravaged the province.

Fongwan said the Pilmaco should have heeded the warning not to go underground during the typhoon.

Last week, Fongwan implored all small-scale mining activities to halt, banning miners not to enter tunnels during the period of suspension.

Nevertheless, he said all efforts are underway to save the trapped miner.

A pipe has been installed in the tunnel to give Pilmaco food and is used to communicate to him.

The method used in the rescue operation was patterned after the successful rescue of 33 Chilean miners who were trapped years ago six hundred meters under a collapsed copper-gold site in Copiapo, Chile for 69 nine days.

The Philex rescue team is now on the site to offer assistance to Pilmaco. The team is composed of miners from Philex’s Padcal mine in Benguet.

The same team was in Real Quezon doing similar rescue operations when tragedy struck the area and was able to rescue survivors after seven days underground. (Ma. Elena Catajan)