Four more trapped miners rescued

Lotogon: Four more trapped miners were found alive after more than a week of being submerged in a flooded mine shaft in northern Luzon, raising to six the number of those who were taken out alive in two days, officials and rescuers said.

Gerry Monyobda managed to climb out of the 700 feet deep tunnel of Benguet Mines in Itogon, at 11:30 on Monday evening, Jason Himmayod was rescued from the same shaft, identified as Benguet Mines 114 shaft, at 7:30 on Monday morning.

Robert Buway was hosed out of the flooded shaft at 9:45 on Monday morning. Gary Albon survived a harrowing experience from the underground at 10:10 Tuesday morning.

"They were all brought to the surgery section of the Baguio General Hospital and Medical Centre where they are recuperating," said Engineer George Baywong, of the government's Mines and Geosciences Bureau, who is also head of the rescue operation that began on September 22.

"The hardy boys are recuperating fast. Some of them are standing up as if nothing happened to them," said Baywong.

On Monday, Ngitit Pagulayan and Jose Pano Jr were found alive on Monday afternoon. "The doctors pronounced them out of danger. They can now go home to their families," said Baywong. Last Thursday two bodies were recovered and were identified by their relatives.

The divers failed to get one bloated body which they said they saw beneath the two bloated bodies. Rescuers are now frantically rushing to get eight more miners who were trapped when Typhoon Hagupit lashed northern Luzon last September 21.

Officials confirmed that a total of 16 miners in three batches went down the mine tunnel at the height of the storm.