ITOGON, BENGUET, Philippines—Rescuers Wednesday pulled out alive three more miners trapped in a flooded mine tunnel for nine days. But in a race against time and an approaching tropical storm, the search for others missing later yielded only two additional fatalities.
Rescuers applauded and high-fived each other as the three survivors were carried out on stretchers in the afternoon from two separate locations about 700 feet (200 meters) underground in this mountain township, said George Baywong, a Mines and Geosciences Bureau officer supervising rescue efforts.

Looking pale and emaciated, Gilbert Nattem, Rudy Buling Jr. and Mario Anayasan were rushed to the Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center, where they were listed in stable condition and undergoing tests.

Nattem was pulled out of Shaft 114 at 2:15 p.m. while Anayasan was plucked out a few minutes later from Shaft 90, which is within the underground region called 264 Vein, said Rafael Valencia, chief of the Baguio 911 rescue unit helping in the rescue operations.

Buling, the third miner, emerged at 2:48 p.m., Valencia said.

But in the evening, the rescuers only found the bodies of Juan, 35, and Rudy, 37, both surnamed Himmayod, bringing to four the number of fatalities.

On Thursday and Friday last week, rescue teams retrieved the bloated bodies of Joel Bulga and Vincent Himmayod. Himmayod's body was reportedly tied by a rope, indicating he had tried to hold on as floodwaters rushed inside the tunnel.

Still missing are Joseph Anayasan and Jojo and Marvin, both also surnamed Himmayod.

The relationships of the Himmayods were not immediately established.

Six other survivors were rescued on Monday and Tuesday from the Level 700 tunnel of an abandoned gold mine of the Benguet Mining Corp. They were identified as Gary Gano, Robert Mabuei, Antonio “Ngitit” Pagulayan, Jose Panio Jr., Jayson Himmayod and Gerry Munyobda.

Sixteen miners entered the abandoned mine of Benguet Corp. on Sept. 22 as Typhoon "Nina" (international code name: Hagupit) struck and later flooded the mine shafts.

The three survivors recovered Wednesday said they scrambled onto higher ledges after a torrent of muddy water swept the areas where they were working underground, according to Agence France Presse.

"We survived on a little water and prayers," Buling said. He also reached a higher shaft that was not hit by the rising waters.

Buling said he saw the rescue workers wading through the waters below, carrying glowsticks, and shouted to them.

Anayasan described how he and other miners were almost swept away by the sudden water flooding in. But Anayasan said he, too, managed to scramble to a higher ledge, a move that saved his life.

Survivor's brother

Anayasan said his younger brother Joseph was among the three miners still missing, adding that he had not seen him since the flood hit.

Although weak, the three miners rescued were in relatively good health.

Rescuers were battling strong current and water gushing at the entrance of the tunnel to reach the other trapped miners, Baywong said.

But the rescuers were confident they could rescue the others missing, believed holed up in Shaft 90, before Tropical Depression "Pablo" (international codename: Higos) strikes.

Oliver Anayasan found his nephew Mario Anayasan, 40, clinging to a rope because the tunnel water was strong, said volunteer worker Modesto Bentres.

Hungry but happy

"We saw Mario but he was weak so we fed him. Suddenly he was alert. He even climbed up [270 feet] to reach Level 700 from Level 400," he said.

Emergency room physician Manuel Quirino quoted Nattem, 24, as saying he was very hungry but happy to be alive.

"He said he was thankful to have found at least a small portion of the tunnel that was not reached by water," Quirino told The Associated Press by phone.

The miners said they prayed, first in the light from their lanterns, then in the dark when their batteries failed. Their only sustenance was rain water, leading one to try to eat part of his shirt to stave off hunger pangs.

Their attempts to swim to safety were stymied by high, fast-moving water.

The tunnels, dug decades ago in mountainous Benguet province, were abandoned in the 1990s by Benguet Corp. The company had posted guards at two entrances to prevent accidents.

The trapped miners—working on their own with no permit—dug a narrow passageway to gain access to the tunnels, Baywong said.

The rescued miners managed to survive by standing on a ledge or seeking refuge in elevated portions of the tunnel where there was enough oxygen to keep them alive.

They survived on dripping rainwater collected in plastic containers.

Investigation

Benguet Governor Nestor Fongwan said he was seeking an investigation of reports that the 16 miners had illegally entered the abandoned tunnel owned by Benguet Corp.

"The circumstances of the small-scale mining operation in the area must be known and all stakeholders must come forward to be investigated to determine which party or agency must be held responsible," he said.

The investigation would include a review of policies to determine which rules or regulations must be amended or what measures would be needed to avoid a similar incident in the future, he said.

At the hospital in Baguio City, relatives of the miners said they have yet to receive help from the national government.

Aside from the P10,000 given by the provincial government to each of the miners' families, the Itogon government also promised additional P5,000 for each of them.
Benguet Corp. promised each miner P3,000, and the Benguet Federation of Small-Scale Miners is giving P2,000 for each family. With reports from Delmar Cariño, Vincent Cabreza and EV Espiritu, Inquirer Northern Luzon; AFP and AP