FIVE small-scale miners were found dead early Tuesday inside an illegally dug tunnel on the grounds of FCF Minerals Corp. in Quezon town, Nueva Vizcaya.
Authorities identified the victims as Daniel Segundo Paggana, 47; Lipihon Ayudan, 56; Florencio Indopia, 63; all residents of Barangay Runruno; and Alfred Bilibli and Joval Bantiyan from Maddela, Quirino.
The men were reportedly engaged in unauthorized mining activities at a depth of 300 feet and likely died from suffocation.
The bodies were discovered by a resident, Russel Tumapang, who entered the tunnel and alerted barangay officials.
Rescue operations were launched by the police, Bureau of Fire Protection, and disaster management personnel.
As of Tuesday afternoon, retrieval efforts led by FCF Minerals continued amid fears more miners could be trapped.
Barangay Runruno has long struggled with unregulated mining, despite past government crackdowns. Authorities are investigating the incident and reinforcing efforts to combat illegal mining in the area.
