ZAMBOANGA City– A militiaman died of suffocation while his companion escaped unscathed when a tunnel at a mining site collapsed Wednesday in the province of Zamboanga del Norte.
Insp. Dahlan Samuddin, Police Regional Office-9 (PRO-9) information officer, identified the fatality as Mariboy Banogon, 29, of Barangay Tinaplan, Sindangan, Zamboanga del Norte.
Samuddin said Banogon’s companion, Elmie Sibe, 51, escaped unscathed when the tunnel collapsed around 10 a.m. Monday at a mining site in Barangay Tinaplan, Sindangan town.
Samuddin said that Banogon and Sibe went to mine at the mining site owned by Juan Pagente, a small-scale miner Monday morning.
He said the duo noticed that soil and rocks have eroded while they were mining prompting Banogon to instruct Sibe to get woods outside the tunnel to be used as braces to prevent further erosion.
However, he said the tunnel suddenly collapsed just as Sibe stepped out leaving Banogon trapped inside.
He said rescuers were able to retrieve the remains of Banogon several hours later.
He added that post mortem examination showed the cause of Banogon’s death was due to asphyxia by suffocation. pna
Disclaimer
Mindanao Gold Star Daily holds the copyrights of all articles and photos in perpetuity. Any unauthorized reproduction in any platform, electronic and hardcopy, shall be liable for copyright infringement under the Intellectual Property Rights Law of the Philippines.
