Two construction workers died while one survived after being buried in soil while working on a drainage canal behind Plaza del Norte and Convention Center in Barangay Balacad, Laoag City, Ilocos Norte.
According to Dr. Melvin Manuel, City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Officer, the victims were identified as Christian Mark Velasco Ubina, 41, from Isabela, and Christian Juanites Lestino, 32, from Pasig City. The survivor was Rabaca Balia Beltran, 36, from Batangas.
Authorities attempted to save the lives of the two construction workers by performing CPR or cardiopulmonary resuscitation, but they failed.
Dr. Manuel explained that the drainage canal was seven feet deep, and the soil softened due to a ruptured underground water system, causing the collapse. It took authorities an hour to retrieve the victims.
The Laoag City Police Station reported that the bodies of the victims would be transported to Isabela and Pasig City while the survivor continues to recover at the Mariano Marcos Memorial Hospital and Medical Center in Batac City.
The construction project has been temporarily halted as authorities continue their investigation.