11 hours ago
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BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya — Five alleged illegal small-scale miners were found dead inside a tunnel at the FCF Mining Corp.’s compound in Barangay Runruno, Quezon, Nueva Vizcaya, on Tuesday, police said.
Quezon police investigators said the miners were identified as Daniel Segundo Paggana, 47; Lipihon Ayudan, 56; Florencio Indopia, 63, all of Barangay Runruno; Alfred Bilibli of Maddela, Quirino; and Joval Bantiyan of Barangay Cabuan, Maddela, Quirino.
Their bodies were found at about past 1 a.m. on Tuesday by villager Russel Tumapang, 29, of Barangay Runruno, who entered the tunnel and discovered the lifeless victims. He immediately reported the discovery to village head John Babliing.
Probers said the victims were initiating alleged illegal mining activities within the FCF compound at a depth of approximately 300-meter deep when they were trapped inside due to a lack of oxygen supply.
Rescuers from the Quezon Police Station, Bureau of Fire Protection, and Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office responded to the scene.
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Retrieval operations by FCF workers are ongoing, while authorities continue to coordinate with barangay officials to determine if there are additional victims.
