4 dead from methane gas poisoning in Nueva Vizcaya town

Rescuers retrieve the bodies of the victims of methane gas poisoning in Mabuslo, Bambang, Nueva Vizcaya on Monday, May 6. (Photo courtesy of Victor Martin)

SANTIAGO CITY — Four people were killed while one survived following a reported methane gas poisoning inside a tunnel at Sitio Sawmill, Barangay Mabuslo, Bambang town, Nueva Vizcaya on Monday (May 6) afternoon.

Police identified the fatalities as Dionisio Alisen, 62, of Antutot, Kasibu town; Jeremiah Padilla, 64, of Sawmill, Mabuslo, Bambang; Selvino Mendoza, 63, of Banggot, Bambang and Marlon Mateo Orden, 38, of Barangay Magsaysay Hill, Bambang, all in Nueva Vizcaya.

They allegedly used methane gas in an alleged treasure hunt, but they were poisoned due to a lack of oxygen.

READ: 3 road workers die from alleged gas poisoning in Quezon

Marlon Siopon, a 32-year-old villager, attempted to rescue the victims but lost consciousness. Luckily, another villager pulled him out of the tunnel.

Major Frederick Ferrer, the police chief of Bambang, told the Inquirer that they were also monitoring the 10-meter-deep tunnel due to the lingering smell of methane gas late at night.

They planned to fill up the hole to prevent further excavation attempts.

“It is illegal treasure hunting, we surmised, and their alibi that they are looking for water is a far-fetched idea,” Ferrer added.

Villagers alerted the police that Orden, a village councilor, promptly responded upon realizing that three other victims, Alisen, Padilla, and Mendoza, were trapped inside a tunnel.

However, Orden succumbed to a lack of oxygen after attempting to pass through the 10-meter hole.

Siopon secured himself to a rope before descending into the hole for a rescue attempt, but he blacked out.

He later informed the authorities that he instinctively tugged on the rope as he started losing consciousness, leading to his extraction from the tunnel. He regained consciousness after being taken to a nearby house.

Villagers then sought help from the Didipio Mine of OceanaGold rescue personnel based in Kasibu, Nueva Vizcaya.

The victims’ bodies were retrieved from the tunnel between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. that day. INQ