Family of 3 dug up from quarry alive

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THREE persons were rescued after they were buried while gathering limestone in an abandoned quarry in Barangay Paz, Poro, Camotes Islands last Sunday morning, June 2, 2019.

Francisco Monte, 41, his wife Gemmalyn, 33, and their eight-year-old son Wilbert came out with minor bruises after their almost three-hour ordeal.

According to Police Master Sergeant Adren Elcoh Carba of the Poro Police Station, a portion of the abandoned quarry collapsed on the family around 7:40 a.m.

“We received the report of the incident around 9:45 a.m. The Poro Rescue team had to dig them out manually because their equipment could not enter the site. The boy was the last one they dug up,” Carba said in Cebuano.

The survivors were rushed to the Poro District Hospital in San Francisco.

Last October, two residents died while quarrying in the same open-pit mine, Carba said.

He said several residents sneak into the abandoned quarry to gather limestone, which they sell.

“Residents sometimes rely on this for their livelihood. They mine the limestone using their hands. They then sell the limestone by the sacks,” he said in Cebuano.

He said the quarry was opened for a road construction in the barangay several years ago.

“According to the story, the quarry was used to build the road. They used the limestone as filling. Limestone can be used as one of the materials to make gravel since it is illegal to extract sand from the shore,” Carba said in Cebuano.

The quarry was shut down when the construction of the road was completed, he said.

But since the site is on a private property whose owner is based abroad, the Municipality cannot assign someone to stop people from entering.

“The barangay had the quarry closed last year when two people died after they were buried. The site is very deep. Municipal officials also visited the area and ordered it off-limits. But since it is private property, the Municipality cannot assign someone to monitor entry,” Carba said in Cebuano.

The police officer said they are coordinating with the Municipal Government to come up with measures to secure the open-pit mine. (WBS)

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