2 miners die of suffocation in Surigao Norte tunnel

BUTUAN CITY, Philippines — Two small-scale miners died of suffocation in a tunnel in Sitio Duyangan, Aurora, Tagana-an, Surigao del Norte on Tuesday.

S/Sgt. Nichole Pudadera, Tagana-an police investigation unit head, said Mark Anthony Diaz, 30, and his brother Eman, 20, failed to surface when they went down the tunnel at around 8 a.m.

The brothers were found dead by their companions at about 11 a.m. It took more than two hours before the bodies of the victims were recovered.

Lt. Carlito Beslot Jr., town police chief, said an investigation is ongoing.