A 68-year-old man, who was allegedly drunk, died after he fell in an underground charcoal oven in Barangay Kayam in San Remigio, Cebu on Thursday morning, October 26, 2023. | Photo by the San Remigio MPS via Emmariel Ares
CEBU CITY, Philippines – A drunk man died after he accidentally fell into an underground charcoal oven in Barangay Kayam, San Remigio, Cebu early Thursday morning, October 26, 2023.
The incident allegedly took place at around 8:00 a.m. on Thursday.
The victim was identified as 68-year-old Rodolfo Castillo Baril, a charcoal maker and a resident of the barangay.
According to the police report, personnel of the San Remigio Police Station responded to a dead person alarm at around 10:45 a.m.
Police Major Windell Abellana, chief of San Remigio Municipal Station, told CDN Digital in a phone interview that witnesses claimed to have seen Baril fall inside the oven while trying to make charcoal.
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He added that some of the victim’s neighbors tried to rescue Baril but failed due to the flames.
The residents asked for help from the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) who then reported the incident to the police.
Abellana said that the responding police officers arrived at the scene and the drunk man was then extracted from the pit almost three hours after he fell in.
The victim suffered burns mainly on the lower part of his body, stated Abellana.
Abellana also said that the initial investigation revealed that the victim was allegedly under the influence of alcohol when the incident happened. He added that the drunk man fell down on his own possibly due to his intoxication.
The victim’s cadaver has been claimed by his family, stated the report.
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According to Abellana, they recommended to the family to have the victim’s body subjected to an autopsy but they refused because they believed that Baril’s death was purely an accident.
Charcoal making is one of the means of livelihood for people living in the far-flung towns of Cebu Province.
San Remigio is a 3rd class municipality estimated to be 109 kilometers north of Cebu City. /rcg
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