13 miners trapped in gold field in Benguet town

MANILA, Philippines - Rescue operations are going on for at least 13 miners who were trapped inside a gold field in Itogon town in Benguet province in the wake of heavy rains and floods caused by typhoon "Nina" before dawn Tuesday. Benguet Governor Nestor Fongwan cited initial reports reaching him indicating the incident occurred between 2 to 4 a.m., and involved "small-scale" miners. "We are going to suction the water. Ang report ng mayor, sa gold field may 13 minero hindi nakakalabas. Kailangan ngayon ng rescue operations pero di makapasok kasi kailangan ng suction ang tubig (We are going to suction out the water. The initial report I got was that 13 miners were trapped in the gold field and could not get out. We are working on rescue operations and our priority is to suction out the water first)," Fongwan said in an interview on dwIZ radio. He ordered the local police to activate a rescue unit, even as he cited initial reports that the water rushed in through a diversion tunnel. Fongwan also said they may not be able to hold any mining firm responsible for the incident as the miners were "small-scale" workers. "Nasa kanila bakit sila pumasok. It's not a mining company, ito mga small-scale miners (It's not a mining company. These are small-scale miners)," he said. Meanwhile, Fongwan said "Nina" caused damage to vegetables in the province. He also said he has ordered the evacuation of residents affected by rains and landslides. "Lahat na iskwelahan ginawang evacuation centers (All schools in affected areas have been converted into evacuation centers)," he said. - GMANews.TV