48-year-old man dies after soil collapse in Tuba, Benguet mining site

Tuba, Benguet – A 48-year-old man working as a production department supervisor at a mining company in Tuba, Benguet, died after he was buried by a soil collapse at a mining site on December 1, 2025.

The victim, whose name was not disclosed by police, was a native of Pangasinan but was residing in Philex Mines, Camp 3, Tuba.

According to the report of the Tuba Municipal Police Station obtained by Bombo Radyo Baguio, the incident occurred past 6 p.m. at the 782-meter level, Production Line 7, Mock Rest area of the mining site in Camp 3. However, it was only reported to authorities at around 10:30 a.m. the next day, December 2.

Based on the investigation, the victim was operating a scoop-drive when the soil collapse occurred suddenly, burying both him and the equipment. The tragic incident reportedly happened so quickly that he had no chance to escape.

Immediately after the incident, other employees and the company’s safety department conducted retrieval operations to recover the victim’s body.

The body was retrieved around 3:00 p.m. on December 2 and rushed to a nearby hospital. Unfortunately, the man was pronounced dead by the attending physician despite efforts to save his life.

Based on public reporting, there are at least three or four distinct soil-collapse / landslide / erosion-events in Tuba this year. Some of these were the house-collapse and rock-shed damage incident in July, the landslide along Marcos Highway and multiple road-closing landslide events in September.

Widely regarded as among the worst landslide or soil collapse (in recent history) of Tuba happened on September 22, 2025 along Marcos Highway in Sitio Begis, Barangay Poblacion.The landslide sent boulders, mud, and rocks down the mountainside, burying multiple vehicles, including a fuel tanker, van, car, and SUV. The landslide resulted in at least one fatality, reportedly a senior citizen, and multiple injuries among passengers traveling at the time.