NAGA CITY, Philippines—Two small-scale mine workers were found dead in a tunnel in the mining town of Aroroy, Masbate on Wednesday evening, police said Saturday.
The fatalities were identified as Nober Deonan and Antonio Reviro, both were minors and residents of Masbate’s Uson town, said Inspector Christian Jesus Huelva, chief of the Aroroy police.
Huelva reported the miners’ financier as saying that the victims apparently died of suffocation due to lack of air in the tunnel, located in the village of Panique.
Huelva said a similar incident occurred in the same tunnel on July 3. Rosaldo Cortes, 25, a resident of Milagros town, was also believed to have died of suffocation, said Huelva.
Aroroy is one of the areas in the Bicol Region rich in gold deposits.
The Australian-Filipino consortium Masbate Gold Project, one of three big mining firms in the region, operates in Aroroyo but small-scale mines are also prevalent along the Aroroy Gold Rush Area.