Intermittent heavy rain forced the search for five miners trapped inside a mining pit of Semirara Mining Corp. in Caluya, Antique, to be suspended, an official said Monday.
Rescuers stopped their search after two landslides occurred near the west wall pit.
The bodies of five miners have been recovered beneath the rubble after the west wall of the Pani-an pit caved in on the night of Feb. 13, trapping 13 people.
“Retrieval operations are temporarily suspended due to the rainy weather,” said Chief Supt. Agrimero Cruz Jr.
He said the miners who remained trapped had a slim chance of survival, though he was hoping an air pocket would allow them to breathe.
A left arm from a still unidentified miner was recovered after it was seen floating near the Pani-an pit.
The police investigators who were sent to the site to determine what caused the coal pit to collapse were still to file a report, but it appeared that whatever caused it was aggravated by the heavy downpour.
Semirara Mining Corp. on Monday said the operations at the Pani-an site remained suspended as the company and government authorities continued to search for the five missing miners.
The company said in a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange that dogs had been called in to aid in the search.
“Further, the company has guaranteed financial, employment, scholarship and livelihood assistance to the families of those involved,” Semirara said.
Tuesday 19 February 2013
http://manilastandardtoday.com/2013/02/19/heavy-rain-suspends-search-for-5-miners/
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