A CARPENTER died after being buried in a landslide in sitio Back GMA, Barangay Apas in Cebu City at 5:15 pm Friday.
The 41-year-old carpenter identified as Joel Brobo was cleaning up after a week working in a house in the area when the landslide occurred. While his head and arms were not buried, his chest and torso were pinned down by a boulder.
“We extricated him. But there was already no pulse and no breathing. In the jargon of rescuers, he’s already dead. But it is only a doctor who can declare him dead,” said Nagiel Bañacia, head of the Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CCDRRMO).
The victim was taken out of the debris at 6:40 pm. Bañacia said Brobo was already washing his feet, preparing to go home to Tabogon town when the landslide occurred.
The landslide came from a riprap being built near the house. He said Brobo died due to the boulder that fell on his chest and prevented him from breathing.
Bañacia said they tried their best to revive him together with personnel from the Emergency Response Unit Foundation (ERUF) even on their way to the hospital.
But he said the victim was unresponsive.