3 gold miners buried alive in ComVal

MANILA, Philippines - Three gold miners died in Compostela Valley on Wednesday after they were buried alive underneath a pile of soil and rocks following an erosion at the site where they were working, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said. Compostela Valley Provincial Police chief Senior Superintendent Ronald dela Rosa identified the fatalities as Jamil Gonzales, Jhony Gonzales, and Julius Gevera - all locally employed as gold-panners. Dela Rosa said the three victims were working at Sitio Bango, Brgy. Ngan in Compostela town trying to divert the water flow in Monkayo River to washout a portion of the soil in the area when rocks from a nearby mountain crashed on them. Dela Rosa said the Compostela Valley police and the 1102nd Provincial Mobile Group, who were deployed to the area for search and rescue operations, recovered the bodies. - Sophia Dedace, GMANews.TV