A CHARCOAL manufacturer fell onto a charcoal pit and died.
The incident happened around 8 a.m. on Thursday, October 26, 2023, in Purok Nangka, Barangay Kayam, San Remigio town, northern Cebu.
The victim was identified as Rodolfo Castillo Baril, 68.
Police Major Windell Abellana, chief of San Remigio Police Station, told SunStar Cebu that the victim was already dead when the police arrived.
According to him, the municipality’s emergency rescue personnel were the ones who informed them about the incident.
Abellana said that the victim yelled for assistance, but the neighbors were hesitant to respond out of fear that they may also fall into a pit with burning charcoal.
The residents instead called the rescue team, because they lacked the equipment to retrieve Baril.
"Nagkisikisi ni siya sa nagbaga nga kayo nakapanawag og tabang!Unya wala dayon makuha napaig katunga sa lawas," Abellana said.
(He was pleading for help while trembling from the intense heat, but he was not quickly rescued, which resulted in the burning of half of his body).
It was learned during police investigation that the victim was intoxicated during the incident.
The victim's neighbors claimed that Baril consumed alcohol almost everyday.
They thought that the victim's loss of balance was caused by alcoholism and the stainless in one of his feet.
SunStar Cebu also discovered that the victim was living alone in his home after his wife left him.
To dispel suspicions of foul play, the police asked the victim's relatives to have him undergo an autopsy. (With TPT)