Quarry landslide kills 2
-A A +ASunday, February 17, 2013
CEBU CITY -- A landslide triggered by incessant rains killed two people who were working in a remote limestone quarry in Barangay Cagcagan, Poro, Camotes Island on Friday.
Inspector Edgar Awe, the town’s police chief, identified the fatalities as Eliseo Tindog, 59, and Nandy Estrera, 30.
Two men who were also digging together with the victims survived after a portion of a cliff in Sitio Libas caved in at 9:30 a.m.
About four truckloads of loosened soil and rocks fell on Tindog and Estrera, who were still at the opening of a cave.
The two survivors, on the other hand, managed to get out safely. One of them was identified only as William.
It took an hour for a rescue team to retrieve the bodies of Tindog and Estrera at the site, which is 12 kilometers away from the town proper.
They were declared dead by Dr. Mabel Huete, the town’s municipal health officer.
He told Sun.Star Cebu the victims were digging "anapog" or limestone that was supposed to be used for the construction of the house of Tindog’s daughter.
He said the victim failed to notice that a portion of the cliff was slowly collapsing.
For three days straight, the town has been experiencing light rains that could have loosened the soil, Awe said.
The town’s rescue team used a backhoe and payloader to retrieve the bodies. They first found Tindog and it took them some time before they discovered Estrera.
Awe said they had to use excavating equipment because they didn’t know where the victims were and it would have taken them hours to dig manually.
Before the accident, he said the local government had prohibited residents from entering the area.
The quarry has been used by locals and not for commercial purposes.
“Naatlan lang gyud sila. Wala la’y swerte (They were very unfortunate),” Awe said, adding that it was the first time an accident happened in the area.
Last June 3, 2011, a landslide struck in a limestone quarry in Argao, Cebu that left two miners trapped. Prolonged rains had also preceded that accident. (DSM of Sun.Star Cebu)
Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on February 17, 2013.
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