Three men trapped in water tank rescued

By: Glazyl Y. Masculino

BACOLOD City – Three persons were rescued by authorities after they were trapped in a 14-ft water tank at a building along Sta. Rosa Street in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental Tuesday morning.

Senior Fire Officer (SFO3) Edwin Nazareno, chief operations officer of Dumaguete City Fire Station, identified the victims as Archel Balasumo, Charles Kadusale, and Carlo Palomar, who all sustained minor injuries after they struggled to get out from the water tank.

Nazareno said the three victims shouted for help after they suffered difficulty of breathing while they were working past 10 a.m. Rescuers responded after the victims’ colleagues asked for assistance from the authorities.

Nazareno said the rescue operation lasted for about 45 minutes because it was too difficult for the rescuers to reach them underneath the tank due to scaffolding obstructing the pathway.

“It was also too tight and too hot inside the tank that one of the rescuers cannot stay long due to insufficiency of oxygen,” he said, adding that they cannot bring a breathing apparatus inside the tank because of the small pathway.

Nazareno said he does not know if the victims had been continuously working inside the tank without safety gears or breathing apparatus.

Two of the three victims were unconscious when they were pulled out from the area using a rope. All of them were brought to Siliman University Medical Center in the city.