A 58-year-old man died after being buried beneath collapsed soil while constructing a well in Barangay 33-B Lapaz, Laoag City.
The victim was identified as Jesus Pascual, a resident of Barangay 32-B, Laoag City.
According to his brother, Mr. Toribio Pascual Jr., the soil suddenly gave way while Jesus was digging, trapping him under heavy debris.
Emergency responders including personnel from the Philippine National Police, Philippine Coast Guard, Bureau of Fire Protection, City Health Office, and the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council quickly arrived on scene.
Rescuers used a backhoe in their attempts to retrieve the victim, but the soft soil caused repeated cave-ins, making the recovery effort challenging.
Dr. Melvin Manuel, head of the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, stated that the well being dug was over 20 feet deep and it took nearly two hours to recover the body.
Despite rescue efforts, City Health Officer Dr. Rodrigo Catcatan declared the victim dead from asphyxia due to premature burial.