By Artemio A. Dumlao (philstar.com), November 23, 2016
ITOGON, Philippines – Three small scale miners choked to death inside a mine tunnel in Itogon, Benguet Monday afternoon.
Rosalino Api-it Narciza, 54; Santiago Falikao Banganan, 32; and Barry Rimando Api-it, 36, all residents of Ucab, were retrieved dead from a mine portal at Fatima, Ucab.
Reports said that Narciza entered the mine portal to retrieve mining equipment but his colleagues never saw him out, prompting his nephew Api-it to check on him but he too never came out.
Alarmed too, Banganan also tried to check on the duo, but also did not emerge from the portal after several hours.
Colleagues and authorities launched a retrieval operation and found the three already dead inside the tunnel.
The death of the three is yet the latest among the long list of deaths inside mine tunnels in Itogon.
Mayor Victorio Palangdan called on small scale miners, mostly unaided by breathing apparatuses, to exercise extra care in their work.
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