Hope fades for trapped miners, death toll rises in Philippines typhoon

A rescuer emerges from a flooded tunnel where 13 gold miners are trapped in Itogon, northern Philippines on September 23, 2008, after rainwater unleashed by Typhoon Hagupit seeped inside the tunnel while nearby six people have been killed from landslide. Photo courtesy AFP.

by Staff Writers
Baguio, Philippines (AFP) Sept 24, 2008
The death toll from Typhoon Hagupit in the Philippines rose to eight with hopes fading for 13 gold miners still trapped in a flooded tunnel, officials said Wednesday.

The civil defence office said four people were drowned, three killed by landslides and one person electrocuted by a fallen power line after Hagupit hit the archipelago on Sunday.

Almost 5,000 people were still displaced by the typhoon that left the country on Monday, heading west towards southern China.

In the northern town of Itogon, rescue workers were still struggling to reach 13 miners who were trapped after typhoon-induced rain washed mud down into their tunnel.

"Their chances of surviving are low," said Chief Superintendent Eugene Martin, head of the provincial police, remarking that the trapped miners did not have an oxygen supply even as water flooded the tunnels.

However engineer Neoman dela Cruz, regional director of the mining board, who was overseeing the rescue effort, said they were still optimistic they could reach the trapped miners later in the day.

He conceded their efforts were hampered by equipment breakdowns and a lack of sufficient oxygen for the rescuers trying to dig the miners out.

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DISASTER MANAGEMENT

Invest in disaster preparations to protect Asia's poor: World Vision

Singapore (AFP) Sept 21, 2008
Massive investments are needed to protect millions of poor people living in Asia-Pacific coastal areas who are vulnerable to increasingly deadly natural disasters, global charity World Vision said.

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