By Rachel Magday

 

Authorities have officially concluded rescue and retrieval operations after recovering the bodies of three small-scale miners trapped inside a 400-meter-deep tunnel in Sitio Balcony, Barangay Runruno, Quezon.

According to Barangay Captain John Babliing, the retrieval operation ended at around 2 a.m. today (June 26), after the decomposed remains of the victims were brought out.

The miners were identified as Daniel Segundo Paggana, 47; Lipihon Ayudan y Bumulyad, 56; and Florencio Indopia y Napudo, 63, all residents of Barangay Runruno.

Earlier, on June 25, volunteer rescuer John Philip Guinihid lost his life after being pulled out of the same tunnel. Guinihid and his friend Johnny Ayudan had entered the tunnel on the night of June 24 in an attempt to retrieve the body of Lipihon Ayudan, Johnny’s brother, who was among the miners trapped since the evening of June 23.

Meanwhile, two other miners, Alfred Dulnuan and Joval Bantiyan, were rescued alive from the tunnel on June 24. Both had entered the site on June 23 together with Segundo, Indopia, and Ayudan.

The rescue and retrieval operations were carried out by volunteer rescuers from the Runruno community, personnel from the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), Philippine National Police (PNP), FCF Minerals Corp., OceanaGold Philippines, Inc., Lepanto Consolidated Mining Company, as well as barangay and municipal officials.

📷NVPPO