Small scale mining that involves digging tunnels to get to the precious gold is an occupation that poses a lot of risks to miners. Last November 4, a young man working at a private mining tunnel in Tuding, Itogon died after succumbing to gas poisoning inside the tunnel. The teenager who has been identified as Jerickson E. Dalmin was only 14 years old.
According to a news article on the Baguio Midland Courier, Dalmin and his cousin Gabriel Alos Briones were just about to start the day's work when the tragic incident happened. After arriving at the tunnel, the two miners turned on a blower to ventilate the tunnel and push out poisonous gases that may have accumulated.
Briones then proceeded to cook their food for the day without noticing that Dalmin entered the tunnel. Realizing that his cousin isn't around, Briones entered the tunnel and that's when he found Dalmin lying about 15 feet deep into the tunnel.
Seeking the help of other miners, the body of Dalmin was retrieved from the tunnel and immediately rushed to the Baguio General Hospital but medical personnel there declared him dead on arrival.
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| Photo by Josh Rushing via Flickr. |
This is the second reported incident of fatal gas poisoning inside a mine in the province of Benguet for this year. Last July, another case of poisoning occurred in Mankayan, Benguet.
During the incident in Mankayan, two miners died while six others were hurt. One of the two fatalities was only 19 years old.
