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QUEZON, Nueva Vizcaya—Three bodies of small-scale miners who got trapped in a tunnel after entering it on Monday night (June 23) were finally recovered by rescuers in Sitio (sub-village) Balcony, Barangay (village) Runruno in this town.
Barangay Captain John Babli-ing identified the deceased miners as Daniel Segundo, 47; Florencio Indopia, 63; and Lapihon Ayudan, 56, all residents of Barangay Runruno.
Photo shows the rescue and retrieval operations at Sitio Balcony, Barangay Runruno in Quezon, Nueva Vizcaya. PHOTO BY LEANDER C. DOMINGO
Photo shows the rescue and retrieval operations at Sitio Balcony, Barangay Runruno in Quezon, Nueva Vizcaya. PHOTO BY LEANDER C. DOMINGO
Photo shows the rescue and retrieval operations at Sitio Balcony, Barangay Runruno in Quezon, Nueva Vizcaya. PHOTO BY LEANDER C. DOMINGO
Segundo's body was retrieved from the more than 400-meter-long tunnel at 11 p.m. on Wednesday, while Indopia and Ayudan's remains were recovered at 12:10 a.m. and 12:22 a.m., respectively on Thursday, June 26, 2025.
Segundo, Indopia and Ayudan entered the tunnel on Monday with two other small-scale miners identified as Alfred Dulnuan and Joval Bantiyan.
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Dulnuan and Bantiyan were rescued alive on Tuesday at around 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. respectively.
Photo shows the rescue and retrieval operations at Sitio Balcony, Barangay Runruno in Quezon, Nueva Vizcaya. PHOTO BY LEANDER C. DOMINGO
Photo shows the rescue and retrieval operations at Sitio Balcony, Barangay Runruno in Quezon, Nueva Vizcaya. PHOTO BY LEANDER C. DOMINGO
Meanwhile, a volunteer rescuer, John Philip Guinihid, tragically lost his life and was pulled out of a tunnel at 2:45 p.m. on Wednesday.
It was on Wednesday at around 3 a.m. when Guinihid and another volunteer rescuer, Johnny Ayudan, brother of one of the trapped miners, entered the tunnel to help in the search and rescue operations.
Photo shows the rescue and retrieval operations at Sitio Balcony, Barangay Runruno in Quezon, Nueva Vizcaya. PHOTO BY LEANDER C. DOMINGO
Photo shows the rescue and retrieval operations at Sitio Balcony, Barangay Runruno in Quezon, Nueva Vizcaya. PHOTO BY LEANDER C. DOMINGO
Rescuer Ayudan, however, was pulled out of the tunnel alive at 3:30 p.m. or 45 minutes after the retrieval of Guinihid’s body.
Pastor Mario dela Cruz of the Philippine Bethel Church, Inc., also a volunteer rescuer, said Guinihid and the three small-scale miners likely succumbed to oxygen deprivation which can cause dizziness and loss of consciousness inside the tunnel.
"While deep inside the tunnel to help in the rescue and retrieval operations, I suffered a severe headache and struggled to breathe, making the rescue and retrieval efforts extremely challenging," Dela Cruz said.
Photo shows the rescue and retrieval operations at Sitio Balcony, Barangay Runruno in Quezon, Nueva Vizcaya. PHOTO BY LEANDER C. DOMINGO
Photo shows the rescue and retrieval operations at Sitio Balcony, Barangay Runruno in Quezon, Nueva Vizcaya. PHOTO BY LEANDER C. DOMINGO
He said the mechanical ventilation equipment provided by FCF Minerals and OceanaGold made the rescue and retrieval operations possible.
Joining the rescue operations were the Bureau of Fire Protection, Philippine National Police, FCF Minerals Corp., OceanaGold, Runruno barangay local government unit, Quezon municipal local government unit, and volunteer groups.
