Rescuers give up on Diwalwal tunnel blast victims

DAVAO CITY — The Regional Disaster Coordinating Council (RDCC) gave up on its search and rescue operations yesterday for the victims of the explosion that ripped through a tunnel at the gold-rush site at Mt. Diwalwal in Monkayo, Compostela Valley last Wednesday.

"It is no longer a search and rescue operation but a retrieval operation for the victims who are still inside the tunnel. It has become extremely dangerous even for the RDCC rescue team," said Franco Tito, chairman of Barangay Mt. Diwalwal.

Earlier reports said as many as 18 miners could have been killed in the blast.

Tito said the smoke coming from the tunnel could suffocate the members of the rescue team even if they wore gas masks.

He confirmed that more than 50 miners were inside the Sunshine tunnel owned by JB Management Corp. (JBMC) when the explosion occurred at about 10:20 p.m. last Wednesday.

"There are more workers inside the tunnel. It is just too dangerous to go inside," Tito said.

He said JBMC officials had refused to allow policemen and soldiers to help in the search and rescue operations, thus forcing him to seek the RDCC’s help.

The team will return to Mt. Diwalwal today to pursue the retrieval operation, which had to be stopped yesterday due to lack of the necessary gadgets.

The continued heavy rains in the area also prevented the rescue team from penetrating the tunnel.

Tito identified the six confirmed fatalities as Julio Galvez, Longkoy Miguel, Genesis Miguel, Joepert Malubay, William Cabigti and Victor Condeza.

He said the survivors were Dodong Mapara, Felix Tampos, Rudy Plomo, Jun Gallardo, Julius Urabia, Jun Arco, Tata Arco, and Raul Abiado.

Meanwhile, Environment Undersecretary for Mining Deinrado Dimalibot said they were inclined to believe that explosives, rather than accumulated gas, caused the blast "because there were three explosions." — With Jaime Laude and Katherine Adraneda