|
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
3 Itogon miners rescued
ITOGON, Benguet -- Rescuers pulled three miners out of a flooded tunnel in Northern Luzon Monday after they were trapped for a week, but 10 others were still missing, officials said.
Just as hopes began to fade, rescue groups recovered Monday Ngitit Pagulayan, Jose Panio Jr. and Gerry Monyobda of Ifugao from the Antamok Goldfield mine formerly operated by Benguet Corporation.
What's your take on the Mindanao crisis? Discuss views with other readers
Monyobda was the latest miner rescued from the flooded tunnel at 11:43 p.m. Monday, a television report said.
At 3:35 p.m., pocket miners Panio and Pagulayan were taken out from the tunnel by Navy divers alive, said George Baywong, mine safety officer of the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB).
Baywong added that Panio and Pagulayan were found at Shaft 114 in level 700 of the mine site. Both survivors hail from the town of Hingyon in Ifugao Province.
The recovery of the three survivors raised hopes for the families, relatives, friends and the rescue groups that have been working since Tuesday last week.
Pagulayan and Panio survived by finding an air pocket, according to Panio's brother, Jaylord Panio.
"They have abrasions and are a bit emaciated," he said.
They have been without food for the last seven days and only water they brought in with them last Monday evening to quiet their hunger pangs.
Pagulayan and Panio, both 22, were rushed to the Baguio General Hospital (BGH) for emergency treatment.
Jaylord, who was with Pagulayan for the ambulance trip to BGH, said the two rescued miners were 200 feet from vertical Shaft 114.
He added that his brother and Pagulayan tried several times to swim to the shaft, but could not hold their breath long enough to reach the top of the water level and gasp for air.
The two survivors said they only had one meal between them to share the whole time they were trapped underground. When the food ran out, they had to share three liters of clean water they brought down with them.
When the two heard strong shouts coming from Shaft 114, they immediately rediscovered hope of rescue and shouted, in their weak voices, back. It turned out the shouts were from three rescuers, a navy frogman, a fellow pocket miner and Jerry Panio, Jose's elder brother.
Dr. Manuel Quirino, chief of the BGH emergency room, could not say as of Monday afternoon the extent of the survivors' injuries.
"They're alive? It's a miracle," said Dr. Quirino said when he heard the news two of the miners were on their way to Baguio for medical treatment.
Like everybody else, Quirino gave up hope any survivor could be extricated from the mine after a week of continuous rescue operations. But it seemed prayer is more powerful than mere speculation.
On Thursday, two bodies were recovered. They were identified as Jojo and Vincent Himmayod by their relatives.
The Himmayods drowned because of storm waters from Typhoon Nina (international codename: Hagupit) filled the mine they were working in.
Panio and Pagulayan were the latest to be taken out from the Goldfield mine.
MGB Regional Director Neoman dela Cruz, though optimistic of the survival of those still inside, said it would only through another miracle, considering the low level of oxygen and the high water level inside the tunnels of the mine.
But the statements of Panio and Pagulayan could prove dela Cruz wrong.
The two stressed they heard other voices in the mine from their fellow pocket miners. These further boosted the morale of rescuers because of the possibility of finding more survivors.
The rescuers have to work fast however, as reports reaching Sun.Star said three of them were rushed to BGH due to suspected gas poisoning.
They are now under close observation at the hospital but doctors are not discounting the possibility they were only suffering from psychological stress because of the conditions at the mine.
Meanwhile, the MGB and Benguet Corporation have been looking for remedies to prevent water from flowing into the tunnel to make search and rescue easier.
Dela Cruz said pipes have been installed to divert the water from the Antamok river, which is one of the major sources of the water flowing into the mine.
"We could not divert a huge volume of water, but this would at least lessen the water flowing into the underground," he said.
Baywong also said inlets of water inside the tunnels are being located, to be blocked or diverted.
Other remedies, including the blasting at the portal of level 400, were also done in a bid to drain the water and allow unaided exploration of the mine's shafts. (Jane Cadalig/With reports from ENO/RC/Sun.Star Baguio/Sunnex)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Cebu. (September 30, 2008 issue)
Write letter to the editor. Click here. |
|
|
|
[return to top]
[home]
|
|
