Five miners allegedly engaged in illegal mining were found dead in a tunnel in FCF Compound, Barangay Runruno, Quezon, Nueva Vizcaya, on Tuesday, June 24.
Police identified the victims as Daniel Segundo Paggana, 47; Lipihon Ayudan, 56; Florencio Indopia, 63, Alfred Bilibli, and Joval Bantiyan.
Investigation revealed that a fellow miner, Russel Tumapang, 29, discovered the bodies of the victims.
John Babliing, captain of Barangay Runruno, reported to the Quezon police station the discovery of their cadavers in the area.
The tunnel had an approximate depth of 300 meters and the victims were trapped inside due to an apparent lack of oxygen, police said.
Retrieval operations are ongoing. (With a report from Freddie Lazaro)