ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines—Officials have been trying to find two men, who were buried under debris of rock and soil past noon Tuesday as they were trying to salvage scraps and other materials from an abandoned hillside quarry area in Barangay San Roque here.
San Roque village treasurer Josefina de Asis identified the two men as Roderick Cabugsa, 40; and Miguel Gamores, 33.
De Asis said the accident was brought to their attention when the children of the two men sought help.
She said based on the children’s story, their fathers were scavenging for scraps such as pieces of iron from structures in the area, and pebbles, which they could sell, when the top portion of the quarry area caved in.
“We alerted all the officials and we rushed to the site and searched the perimeters but it appeared their fathers were buried down below,” De Asis said.
She said search and rescue efforts were continuing amid fears the two men had died in the accident.
“We presumed the two men to be dead already because the accident happened a few hours ago,” De Asis said.