ITOGON, Benguet—Three pocket miners died late Tuesday of suspected gas poisoning inside an abandoned private mine tunnel as they tried to retrieve their equipment at Fatima, Ucab here, police said.
Authorities identified the small-scale miners as Rosalino Api-it Narciza, 54; Rimando Api-it, 36; and Santiago Falikao Banganan, 32, all residents of Ucab.
Initial investigation showed Narcisa entered the mine tunnel to get their mining equipment, but he didn’t come out. This prompted his nephew Rimando to follow him inside, but he also failed to emerge after several hours.
Bangaan, who just came out of his own mine tunnel, reportedly tried to check on the two miners by using a blower, but he too did not return, prompting other pocket miners to go after them with better equipment.
The rescuers first extracted Banganan, who was declared dead at around 3:30 p.m. The remains of Api-it and Narciza were recovered minutes later, and brought to their respective families.
Mayor Victorio Palangdan called on small scale miners, mostly unaided by breathing apparatus, to take extra care in their work.
The mountains of Benguet are home to some 10,000 small-scale miners, who make a living by extracting gold. In these communities, the method of extraction still involves the use of mercury, via amalgamation. In the separation of gold from mercury, the method involves the release of poisonous mercury vapor.
According to a study of artisanal mining communities in Benguet by researchers from the University of the Philippines in 2004, small-scale miners are usually “equipped with crude implements and the very basic tenets of mineral processing.”
“This lack of technical knowledge has caused these people to ignore the hazards involved in the processes which they utilize,” the study added.