Boracay worksite mishap kills 1, hurts 2

The relative safety of Boracay was marred Wednesday morning when a construction accident killed a worker and injured two others. FILE PHOTO

ILOILO CITY — A construction worker was killed and two others were hurt when excavated soil collapsed at a jobsite on Boracay Island on Wednesday, September 23.

The accident occurred at the construction site at 10:15 a.m. but police were only able to confirm it more than six hours later.

Senior Insp. Fidel Gentallan, chief of the Boracay Tourist Assistance Center (BTAC), identified the fatality as Rene Dalis who died at 11:20 a.m. at the Boracay Island Clinic.

The two other victims, Rafael Masaglang and Jose Manuel Dilanco, were also brought to the clinic and later transferred for further treatment to the capital town of Kalibo in Aklan.

Gentallan said a five-meter-high mound of excavated soil and rocks collapsed on the workers.

He said days of rain could have loosened the soil at site at Sitio Hagdan in Barangay Yapak at the northern end of the 1,032-hectare island.

The BTAC received the initial report of the incident at 11:12 a.m. from municipal councilor Jupiter Gallero.

When policemen went to verify the report, security guards at the jobsite denied the accident, according to Gentallan.

Gentallan along with municipal officials and personnel entered the site at 4:50 p.m. after confirming that victims of the accident were brought to the clinic.

Upon entering the site, they were accompanied by personnel of Datem Inc., the construction company that employed the victims.

Police are investigating the incident and the possible liabilities of the construction company for failing to report and initially denying the incident.

“They should have reported it immediately. We could not enter the site because it was private property and the security guards denied the incident,” Gentallan told the Inquirer Wednesday evening.

In a statement, Datem said the workers were conducting standard inspections when the soil eroded.

“It is unfortunate that we lost one of our workers. We are closely coordinating with the local authorities about this incident. The safety of our workers will always remain to be our top priority.”