WATCH: Father of Itogon miner still hoping son will be found alive

The father of one of the miners trapped in a landslide in Barangay Ucab could not hide his emotions during an interview conducted Wednesday while rescue operations were on-going.

“I have not stopped praying to God. I hope my son is still alive,” Jerome Pilaan Sr. said in a video from Associated Press.

“I am praying that even if he is now gone, even if he is dead, I get to see his remains,” he added.

Pilaan’s son is one of about 40 persons remaining missing after rains from Typhoon “Ompong” (internationally known as “Mangkhut”) softened the ground where a makeshift chapel was located.

Local authorities say that they had recovered at least 15 bodies so far. /atm