Drum explosion kills one worker

CEBU, Philippines - What would have been a useful piece of makeshift equipment for a construction site turned deadly mid-afternoon yesterday.

A construction worker died when the empty drum, which he asked a welder to cut in half using a torch, exploded and the lid tore off the right portion of his chest.

The fatality was identified as Rene Bangcale, 22 years old, married, of sitio Oril, barangay Banilad, Cebu City. 

He was employed by RF Catli Construction, one of the sub-contractors of a condominium project located at corner F. Ramos St. and Junquera Extension.

The incident happened shortly before 3 p.m. on the 21st floor of the building being constructed.

 PO3 Wetzel Berry, Homicide Section investigator, said the victim was holding an empty drum while Joel Salingay, 49, the welder, was trying to cut it in half when it suddenly exploded.

The explosion was heard as far as the Fuente Police Station, Chief Insp. Michael Anthony Bastes, the station’s chief, said. Some of the construction workers said the building shook during the explosion.

Salingay, in an interview with The FREEMAN, said the victim requested him to cut the drum into two because he will fill them with water to be used in mixing sand and gravel.

Berry said the drum, which previously contained methyl methacrylate monomer stabilized, was bought by the victim’s construction company about a week ago to be used as water containers.

A warning was written on the drum which read “flammable liquid.”

Salingay said it was the first time he saw the victim since there are many of them inside the building and it was his second time that day to cut the same type of drum.

There was no untoward incident when he cut the first drum in half.

The victim reportedly was holding one side of the drum, which was being laid flat to the ground, while Salingay started cutting it when it suddenly exploded.

“Nalagpot ming duha. Nalagpot sad ko kay naigo akong dughan sa pressure sa hangin,” he claimed.

He said he no longer bothered to know what happened to Bangcale and he ran towards their office at the fourth floor and hid there.

“Wa man ko migawas ma’am, diha ra man ko sulod sa building. Didto ka sa opisina namo, misulod ko, nagpagawas sa akong kahadlok kay nakuyawan ko,” he said.

He went out of the room at past 4 p.m. and was told by his companions that the police were looking for him.

Salingay went with the police to the headquarters of the Cebu City Police Office to make his statement on the incident.

Salingay, a resident of barangay Mabolo, said he has been working as a construction worker for 10 years.

Currently he is employed by ASEC Construction and started working at the building two months ago.

SPO3 Rey Cuyos said they are not tagging Salingay as a suspect but they are currently placing him under investigation.

“Amo pa tan-awon ni if naa ba sya’y liability kay iyang claim kay nagtrabaho man siya nya miduol ang biktima niya namalihug niya.

“Ato tan-awon if ma-file-an ba siya ani for recklessness. Pero klaro man jud na disgrsay ra ni,” Cuyos said.

Due to the incident, the construction work was temporarily stopped yesterday.

The head of the security department of the construction company, in a television report, said the owner will shoulder the burial expenses as their employees are covered by benefits from the company. —/NLQ (FREEMAN)