This is the coal mine shaft where the accident happened, where a miner died and another one was injured on the morning of November 15, in Naga City, Cebu. | Contributed photo via Paul Lauro
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Police have temporarily stopped the operations of a registered small scale coal mine in Naga City after an accident in its coal mine shaft resulted in the death of a miner and injury to another.
Police Chief Master Sergeant Jake Catane, Naga Police Station investigator, said in a phone interview with CDN Digital that the operation of the coal mine was stopped while the investigation on the death of the miner continued.
READ MORE:
Motorcycle rider killed by falling rock in Naga City, Cebu
17-year-old girl dies as riprap wall collapses in Brgy Tisa, Cebu City
Mining disasters: Enough is enough
(According to them, since we can only get information from what they said because this happened below the ground. There is what they call a shaft. That small hole going under, and they line its sides with lumber (to support the walls of the shaft).)
“Ang nahitabo, dunay bato nga nahug sa tunga tunga nga bahin ug maoy niigo sa mga tawo nga didto sa ilawom,” he said.
(What happened is that there was a rock in the middle part of the shaft that fell and hit those below the shaft.)
How it happened
Catane was referring to the initial police investigation where the three miners were working inside a coal mine shaft which was about a hundred meters deep.
At past 6 a.m., today, November 15, the miners were at the bottom of the shaft when suddenly a portion of the shaft gave way causing rocks to fall on the miners below.
This was in the middle part of the shaft.
One of the miners, who was hit by the falling rocks, died.
He was identified as 27-year-old Robert Abalorio of Barangay Uling, Naga City.
His colleague, a certain Fernando, was also injured in the accident.
He was rushed to the hospital for treatment.
The third miner was unharmed and managed to get out of the coal mine shaft safely.
Naga City is a third class component city of the Province of Cebu which is located 21 kilometers south of Cebu City.