The Philex Mining rescue team aided authorities and other organizations in conducting rescue operations in a collapsed supermarket in Porac, Pampanga after an earthquake affected some parts of Luzon on Monday, April 22.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology recorded a magnitude 6.1 earthquake with Castillejos, Zambales as its epicenter.
Porac, Pampanga, in particular, experienced intensity VI last Monday resulting in the collapse of Chuzon Supermarket where 138 individuals were inside.
With the state of the building, locating survivors might be impossible as per Philex Mining underground safety supervisor Abel Juandagan.
Responders said that victims’ chance of survival depends on their physical capabilities, health, and age. Sometimes, they can last up to 24-hours.
“We still believe in miracles. Baka lang po naman, pinipilit lang po natin (Just in case [there are still survivors], we’re doing everything we can). Panalangin nalang na sana wala nang naiwan sa loob (We pray that no one gets left behind),” Bureau of Fire Protection Region III Director Supt. Samuel Tadeo said in a report by UNTV.
Aside from using thermal scanners and K-9 dogs, rescuers also drilled holes into debris for air and light to enter the collapsed building which helps locating survivors more easily.
As of Wednesday, Pampanga’s Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office said that at least 20 injured individuals dug up alive out of rubble and debris with death toll from the supermarket collapse reaching eight.
