64-yr.old dies inside Cagayan deep well; Son, son-in-law narrowly survived after rescue attempt

APARRI, Cagayan — A 64-year-old man died after reportedly losing consciousness while cleaning a deep well in Barangay Plaza, Aparri, Cagayan, on August 1, while his son and son-in-law narrowly survived after attempting to rescue him.

According to the initial report from the Coast Guard Station (CGS)-Cagayan, the victim had been hired to clean the well, a livelihood he and several members of his family had long undertaken in western Aparri.

The victim reportedly collapsed while working inside the well. Seeing what happened, his son and son-in-law entered the confined space in an attempt to rescue him, but they also became trapped.

Personnel from the Coast Guard Sub-Station Aparri West and Coast Guard Sub-Station Ballesteros immediately responded and conducted a rescue operation to extract the three men from the well.

The two rescuers were successfully brought out alive, but the 64-year-old man was declared dead. Authorities initially reported that all three had survived, but later confirmed the victim's death.

Investigators suspect the victim may have suffocated due to a lack of oxygen inside the well, although the exact cause of death has yet to be determined pending further investigation.

Authorities withheld the identities of the three men to protect the privacy of the bereaved family.

The tragedy mirrors similar incidents reported in other parts of the country involving confined spaces.

In Quezon Province in August 2025, a 31-year-old worker died while cleaning a seven-meter-deep well after reportedly experiencing difficulty breathing. A companion attempted to rescue him but was unable to pull him out. Police suspected poor air circulation inside the well contributed to the fatality.

In Candon City, Ilocos Sur, two farmers died in May 2023 after entering a 22-foot-deep well. One reportedly entered to clean the well but failed to resurface, prompting another man to go down in an attempt to save him. Both were later found unresponsive, with police suspecting suffocation.

A similar incident occurred in Calatrava, Negros Occidental, in April 2023, when two men also died while cleaning a 20-foot-deep well.

Authorities said the incidents highlight the dangers of working in confined spaces such as deep wells, where oxygen deficiency and other hazardous conditions can quickly become fatal. They also cautioned against immediately entering confined spaces to rescue an unconscious person without proper equipment and training, as would-be rescuers can easily become victims themselves.