Friday 18 January 2013

10 killed, 53 injured as bus, trailer truck collide in the Philippines


Ten people were killed while 53 others were injured last Wednesday afternoon when a trailer rammed a commuter bus on the national highway here.

The fatalities were identified as Lyle Carmita, 15, Almira Pamandanan, 36, Cayetana Fernandez, all of Toledo City; Julie Pajamutan and Dionny Pajamutan, of Naga City; Emmanuel Gaudise, 28, of Toledo City; trailer truck driver Antonico Omayag, 40, of Cebu City; Melvin Costanilla of Toledo City, Lilita Etang, 51, of Balamban town, and James Lee Carpentero of Toledo City.br>
Five of the victims died on the spot while the others died at the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center in Cebu City.br>
The injured were rushed to Carmen Copper Hospital and the Toledo City Hospital.br>
Police said the truck, with license plate GUF-405 and driven by Omayag, rammed the BT bus with license plate GWH-253 that was driven by Jimmy Limoran.br>
The truck was cruising along the national highway in Barangay Uling in Naga City when it hit the bus that was traveling toward Toledo City from Cebu City.br>
Police said the trailer truck was hauling a bulldozer and going downhill.br>
Traffic investigator Police Officer 2 Cristino Canono said Omayag lost control of the vehicle when the truck’s brakes malfunctioned.br>
Canono said the bus tried to swerve away from the trailer truck that hit the left side of the bus.br>
The truck dragged the bus several meters and the vehicle fell in a canal.br>
Witness Terry Bacaro, 55, said that she was in a nearby store when she saw the speeding truck honking its horn before it rammed the bus.br>
Marilou Carpentero, 44, of Toledo City, one of the injured passengers, is the mother of one of the fatalities, James Lee Carpentero.br>
Mrs. Carpentero, who suffered a cut in the forehead, said she and her son were on their way home to Toledo.br>
She said they came from the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center in Cebu City where her son was earlier treated for wounds he suffered after he was hit by a tree that fell near their house.br>
Carpentero said they were seated at the back portion of the bus and James Lee was pinned by the metal bars of the bus.br>
Jing Firmeza, mother of injured victim Lyle Firmeza, said that her son was celebrating his 15th birthday that day.br>
She said that her daughter was also on the bus on her way home to Toledo City when she was knocked unconscious by the collision.br>
Friday 18 January 2013br>
http://www.222.philstar.com/headlines/2013/01/18/898290/truck-rams-bus-10-killed-53-hurt-cebu

0 comments:

Post a Comment