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CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (MindaNews / 12 March) — One person died and three others were presumed dead due to suffocation inside a cave they were exploring Sunday, March 10, in Kadingilan town, Bukidnon for the fabled Yamashita treasure, police and rescue officials said Monday.
Captain Larry Mahlin, Kadingilan police chief, said one of the victims, Rey Gallardo, a resident of Valencia City, was already pulled out from the cave by rescuers Monday morning.
Mahlin said the three remaining treasure hunters trapped inside the cave in Sitio Tinago, Barangay Cabadiangan were presumed dead, and have yet to be retrieved as of Tuesday morning.
The official did not name the three.
He said the fatalities were part of a group of eight treasure hunters who went inside the cave in search for the fabled Yamashita treasure.
Mahlin said a nearby police station sent a distress radio message that the treasure hunters informed then they needed help.
Robert John Laguna, a member of the Kadingilan Disaster Risk Reduction Management office, said they did not enter the cave because the area contained carbon monoxide.
Laguna said the cave is formed by a labyrinth of passages that can pose potential danger to rescuers. (Froilan Gallardo / MindaNews)