1 killed in Argao mining explosion

One person was killed while three others were injured when a coalmine in barangay Balaas, Argao town exploded yesterday morning.

The regional office of the Department of Energy immediately issued a suspension order against the mining activities of Adlaon Energy and Development Corporation while an investigation is going on.

Right after the accident, which occurred at around 8:40 a.m., DOE regional director Antonio Labios sent a five-man team to conduct an on-site investigation and possible rescue operations for trapped workers. The mining site is about 15 kilometers away from the town proper.

If there would be no complications, Labios said his men might already have the results of their investigation today.

PO2 Jojit Abah of Argao Police Station identified the fatality as 35-year-old Alfredo Sombilon of Manlapay, Dalaguete who was near the site of the explosion and was killed instantly.

Those wounded, who were rushed to nearby hospital and Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center, were identified as Andres Balungcas, 42, also of Manlapay, Dalaguete; Romulo Ortega, 42, of Botong, Argao; and Roberto Dibolusad, 22. The victims belonged to the first shift of that day's operations.

The three injured suffered second and first degree burns in different parts of their bodies due to the ignited methane gas.

Abah told The Freeman that one of the survivors told him that it was the spark from an electric wire installed inside the level six of the tunnel, estimated 50 meters away from the tunnel's mouth, which caused the explosion.

"Base sa mga biktima, ni-spark kuno ang electric wire mao tong ang methane gas midakop sa kalayo, (ug) nasunog ni sila sir.

Kining namatay maoy nasentro kay nag-una man daw ni siya," Abah said.

The tunnel may have contained a large amount of the deadly gas causing it to explode when the spark occurred.

DOE regional energy resource and development division chief Roland Meneses said the explosion happened underground but they are still investigating its cause.

Meneses said that Adlaon, which has 135 workers, was given license to operate in July 2005. The firm produces 600 to 1,000 metric tons of coal a day for Apo Cement Corporation and some coal-fired power plants.

On December 11, 2005, at least eight people were killed when a coalmine owned by the Ibalong Resources and Development Corporation in Ibalong, Dalaguete town exploded. - Wenna A. Berondo and Edwin Ian Melecio