Search, retrieval ops continue at mine site

ILOILO CITY , Philippines   â€” The number of confirmed dead in the mining pit collapse in Semirara Island of Caluya, Antique was five, not four as previously reported by the police who yesterday said that search and retrieval operations continued on the five other workers who have been declared missing so far.

There was a mix-up in the list of the fatalities and the so-called “missing” miners, but Sr. Supt. Marloe Marfil, Antique Police chief, yesterday told The Freeman that the five confirmed dead were Abner Lim, Efren Equiza, Joven Hocate, Anthony Siblet and Georgie Bragat.

Their mining foreman Leovigildo Porras, listed among the dead earlier, was among the five missing persons who were still the subject of the search and retrieval operations, as of yesterday. The four others were Jan Riel Planca, Randy Tamparong, Richard Padernilla and Junjie Gomez.

Marfil said authorities at the scene described the operations as search-and-retrieval considering that the five missing may no longer survive the about 30 to 40 meters depth of the landslide that covered the mining pit. “We were still hoping and praying na may nakaligtas pa,” he said.

The five dead and the five missing were among the 13 miners trapped in the pit of the 30-hectare coal mine. Moments after the incident, personnel of the Semirara Coal and Mining Corporation (SCMC) were able to rescue three miners: Marjun Catoto, Adrian Celmar and Leonardo Sojor. They were rushed to the mining firm’s infirmary for treatment while one of them was airlifted to Metro Manila due to severe injuries.

The Office of Civil Defense-6 said it was still waiting for updates from the Antique Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council and from John Sedullo, legal counsel and corporate secretary of SCMC.

Local authorities have yet to send first-hand reports from the mine site because Semirara Island could be reached by boat for nine hours under good weather condition. Communication was also hard for residents and workers.

Mayor Genevieve Lim Reyes of Caluya town yesterday said SCMC, owned by David M. Consunji Inc (DMCI), assured her that financial assistance and burial expenses will be provided to the three survivors and five fatalities.

Around 200 residents were also affected by the landslide since families of most miners also reside in the area.

Councilor Ricky Laviga said he received information that before the incident, several workers expressed fear of an impending collapse because it has been continuously raining for two days.

Mozart Lim, a Semirara village councilman and a first cousin of the dead victim, said the collapse and eventual landslide could have been avoided.

There were allegations that, hours before the accident, the mining firm’s crack monitoring team released an advisory that cracks were spotted in portions of  the mine pit wall but these were allegedly taken lightly by the management.

As this developed, the Department of Labor and Employment–6 said it will send a safety officer to Semirara to assess the health and safety plan of the SCMC.

Ponciano Ligutom, DOLE-6 director, said an annual technical inspection is being conducted by his office to determine the occupational safety of workers but he would like the team to probe on what really caused the accident.

SCMC, operating since 1998, is the only large-scale coal producer in the Philippines, as Semirara is the country’s biggest source of coal.  (FREEMAN)