ARGAO, Cebu, Philippines – Rescuers successfully plucked two miners Thursday night from a stone quarry that was buried in a landslide in barangay Calasagan, Argao, a southern town of Cebu, Thursday morning.

The two miners, identified as Nelson Pantojan and Nitoy Alforque, were successfully rescued from the collapsed stone quarry at 10 p.m. Thursday, nearly 12 hours after they were reported trapped in barangay Calasagan.

The landslide was triggered by incessant rains, blocking the remote stone quarry, leaving the two miners trapped. Small-scale miners have been digging limestone in the area for almost two years.

Heavy rains had weakened the soil in the mountainous area. Earth loosened and, together with boulders, fell and blocked the entrance of the quarry.

Argao town is 66 kilometers from the heart of Cebu City and barangay Calagasan is still 20 kilometers further inland.

The cream stone quarry is owned by a certain Rogelio Fuentes. Residents of the place said that those who want to get stones are welcome to go down the quarry and Fuentes would pay them for what they would bring to the surface.

The cave-in reportedly happened at 9 a.m., but the people of the barangay did not immediately seek help from the town as they thought they could rescue Pantojan and Alforque by themselves.

It was only at 2 p.m. when the call for help reached Vice Mayor Stanley Caminero of the town, who rushed to the scene and brought two back hoes to help dig out the victims.

The move to use heavy equipment was later abandoned as the two miners complained that the earth shook and they were worried that they would be buried for good.