By: Chris V. Panganiban
Inquirer Mindanao Bureau
SAN FRANCISCO, Agusan del Sur — A Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) responder and two small-scale miners were killed during a rescue operation at a mining tunnel in Surigao City, authorities said.
The BFP identified the fallen responder as Fire Officer 3 Rumar C. Mahinay, 41, a member of the agency’s Special Rescue Force and a resident of Mana Pepang Village, Barangay Rizal, Surigao City.
Initial reports said BFP personnel responded at around 11:30 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 17, after receiving information that two miners — Jorlic Ferol, 28, and Romeo Villamor Jr., 58 — had been trapped inside a small-scale mining tunnel.
Mahinay reportedly entered the tunnel wearing safety equipment, including a breathing apparatus, to rescue one of the trapped miners. While rescuers were pulling him out, a wooden support structure broke, causing him to fall back into the tunnel.
Fellow BFP personnel retrieved Mahinay and rushed him to Caraga Regional Hospital, where he was declared dead on arrival.
Another firefighter, SFO1 Junril Lafuente Goring, 42, was injured after being struck by falling wood during the operation and was given medical treatment.
In an interview with RPN DXKS FM radio station, Barangay Chairperson Alicia C. Ozaki later confirmed that Ferol and Villamor also died. She also clarified that the mining site is actually within Barangay Nabago, not Barangay Capalayan as initially reported, saying the two miners were residents of Nabago while their wives were from Capalayan.
In a statement on Tuesday, the BFP Caraga Regional Office said Mahinay died in the line of duty while conducting a rescue operation and paid tribute to his courage and selflessness as a member of the Special Rescue Force.
Authorities are continuing their investigation to determine the circumstances that led to the deaths and the collapse of the tunnel’s wooden support structure.
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