Two workers killed after dig site collapses in Las Piñas

MANILA, Philippines — Two construction workers were killed after an 18-meter-deep excavation at a Maynilad water pipeline project caved in on five workers in Pamplona, Las Piñas on Sunday afternoon, June 28, police said.

The trench along Aquarius Street gave way yesterday and buried workers under soil. Recovery teams pulled out the last of the trapped men by 4:30 p.m. the same day, but two were already dead, Lieutenant Colonel Teoson Rosarito, assistant police chief in Las Piñas, said in a Monday morning interview on dzBB Super Radyo.

Three of the five workers survived. Two were not immediately buried under soil when the walls collapsed, while a third was pulled out injured and rushed to a hospital, Rosarito said. 

"Dalawa po ang patay dito sa insidenteng ito… Tatlo po ang nakaligtas," he said in the radio interview.

Police have sealed off the site and Maynilad personnel have been barred from the excavation while authorities investigate the incident, Rosarito said.

In a statement Monday, Maynilad confirmed the accident and said work at the site had been suspended. The company said it coordinated the emergency response with the Bureau of Fire Protection, the barangay and local disaster response authorities.

"Our thoughts are with the workers and their families during this difficult time," Maynilad said. 

The utility said it was coordinating with its unnamed contractor to extend assistance to the affected workers and their relatives, and was "fully cooperating" with the investigation.  

Rosarito also denied reports that two Chinese nationals were among the casualties. "Wala po. Wala pong ganoon… Pilipino na po ito," he said, adding that the workers' addresses were already on file with the local police.

The excavation was part of repairs on a main pipeline, the police colonel confirmed. 

Maynilad has cut water service to a portion of the area while the site stays shuttered, and has not said when work will resume. — Cristina Chi