Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Philippines mine blast kills 54

Tuesday 30 August 1994 18:02 EDT
Comments

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

MANILA (AFP) - The death toll from a huge gas explosion in the Philippines' biggest coal mine rose to 54 as rescuers battled against noxious fumes to find 20 workers still missing one day after the accident.

Asked whether any of the missing miners was still alive, Debbie Diokno, a spokeswoman of the state-owned energy giant Philippine National Oil Co., replied 'it's hard to say'. The blast ripped through the remote colliery near Malangas, 470 miles south of Manila, on Monday night, trapping 74 out of the 170 miners working in underground tunnels at the time. A total of 96 other miners have been rescued.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in