3 brothers digging for gold die of suffocation in 20-foot-deep hole

BACOLOD CITY, Negros Occidental — The search for an alleged treasure claimed the lives of three hunters, who reportedly died of suffocation on Saturday, in Sitio Bugtong, Barangay (village) Tan-awan, Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental.

The victims identified as Danilo Nabas, 42, and his two younger brothers, Rolando, 40, and Reynante, 33, were found unconscious in the 20-foot-deep hole in Sitio Bugton.

But they were declared dead on arrival at a hospital, police said.

Supt. German Garbosa, Kabankalan City police chief, said the Nabas brothers had been digging the hole near their residence since 2015, in search for gold.

Garbosa said Rolando, one of the victims, had a dream that gold was buried near their home.

This prompted the Nabas brothers to dig the hole, he added.

Joseph Masola, brother-in-law of the victims, is now also confined in a hospital, for treatment after inhaling sulfur as he was trying to check the Nabas brothers, who did not respond to his calls.

Masola managed to extricate himself from the hole, and sought help to retrieve the bodies of the victims, Garbosa said.

The Kabankalan police has requested a post-mortem examination on the bodies of the victims, to determine the exact cause of their deaths.  SFM