4 electrocuted to death in Sibugay artesian well

COTABATO CITY, Philippines — Four people died from electrocution on Friday while draining an artesian well in Barangay Tiayon in Ipil, the capital town of Zamboanga Sibugay.

Ipil Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO) personnel told reporters yesterday that Norben Cañete Sr. had set out to retrieve tools at the bottom of a 28-foot-deep artesian well that he and three others had partly drained using an electric submersible pump.

As he reached the bottom of the well, the pump malfunctioned, causing a power surge that electrocuted Cañete, the MDRRMO said.

Co-worker Jayson Gandawan, who saw what happened, tried to help Cañete but also got electrocuted in the process.

Cañete’s son Norben Jr. and Renjear Velez attempted to rescue the two and tried to pull them out of the well, but got electrocuted as well.

According to the MDRRMO, witnesses said Norben Jr. and Velez only stopped jerking from electrocution after Annie Joy Sambalod, Norben Sr.’s partner, unplugged the pump’s cable, which was connected to a nearby house.

The MDRRMO said personnel from the Bureau of Fire Protection in Ipil and nearby towns responded to calls for help.

They reportedly retrieved the bodies of the four workers two hours after the incident.