School mourns six alumni killed in Benguet mine gas incident

TADIAN, Mountain Province — The administration of Cagubatan National High School in Tadian, Mountain Province, mourned six former students who died following a gas poisoning incident inside a mine tunnel in Itogon, Benguet.

The school expressed condolences to the families of the victims, all of whom were from Barangay Banaao in Tadian.

The deceased alumni were identified as Hill Padon, 25, Batch 2021; Orville Valdez, 22, Batch 2023; Kenjie Mangayen, 19, Batch 2025; Alvin Daniel, 21, Batch 2025; Crisanto Gapacan Jr., 19, Batch 2026; and Bryan Loyd Madrid, 18, Batch 2026.

Faculty members and students remembered the six as active participants in classroom and school activities who had promising futures ahead of them.

The incident occurred on 1 October inside a mine tunnel in Sitio Dontog, Manganese, Barangay Dalicno Ampucao, Itogon, where small-scale miners reportedly suffocated after inhaling toxic gas fumes while working underground.

Emergency responders and local authorities conducted recovery operations and confirmed the deaths of seven miners.

The seventh victim was identified as Leonardo Pino, 62, from Cagayan Valley.

The incident has renewed concerns over the hazards faced by small-scale miners in the mineral-rich Cordillera region.

Local government officials and mining safety advocates have called for stricter safety protocols and proper ventilation in small-scale mining tunnels to prevent similar incidents involving toxic gas buildup.