Five miners killed, five missing as Semirara coal mine collapses

(Updated 12.03 p.m., Feb. 15, 2013) Five miners have been confirmed dead, three others were rescued while five remain missing after a large-scale commercial coal mine on Semirara Island in Antique collapsed late Wednesday night, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (NDRRMC) said Thursday night. In a statement, resident manager George San Pedro of the Semirara Mining Corporation confirmed the developments, saying a section of the west wall of the Panian pit in the mine gave way at 11:55 p.m. Wednesday. Semirara is the nation's only large-scale coal producer. On the company website, there is no mention of mine safety or workplace safeguards, except for a line about an ISO certification for its "Safety Management System."

It is the deadliest large-scale mining accident in recent memory. There have been at least eight fatal incidents inside small-scale, mostly illegal mines in the Philippines since 2008, according to GMA News Research, including two tragedies in Paracale, Camarines Norte in 2012, a gold-rush community in Bicol. But large companies like Semirara are supposed to have safeguards that smaller operations do not have.  

 

San Pedro said the company is extending "full support" to the families of the affected personnel.

In a separate statement, the Department of the Interior and Local Government identified the survivors as Marjun Catoto, Adrian Celmar and Leonardo Sojor. DILG Sec. Mar Roxas II has directed local government officials in Antique and Caluya town, as well as the Philippine National Police in Region 6, to lead the search and rescue operations for the trapped miners, the statement said. Large-scale coal producer The Semirara Mining Corporation describes itself as the only large-scale coal producer in the Philippines. It is engaged in surface open cut mining of thermal coal in its Panian mine on Semirara Island, where the mine collapse occurred. In 2009, the company was accused of polluting Semirara's coastal resources with wastes from its coal washing plant. The company denied the allegation.  

Earlier on Thursday, Western Visayas police head Chief Superintendent Agrimero Cruz Jr. said search-and-rescue operations were ongoing for the trapped miners as of 9 a.m.