17 dead in Cotabato province highway mishap
Breaking News • 19:00 PM Mon Mar 25, 2024
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By:
Drema Quitayen Bravo, Edwin Fernandez and John Unson
Photo from Dale Montenegro's FB page
KIDAPAWAN CITY – At least 17 people were burned to death in a highway mishap when a cargo truck rammed a passenger van along the national highway in Antipas, Cotabato at about noon Monday.
Major Godofredo Tupas II, Antipas municipal police station chief, said the accident occurred in Purok 2, Barangay Luhong, Antipas at past 12:30 that left all the passengers of the Toyota Hi-Ace van burned to death.
The HOWO cargo truck loaded with sand and gravel with license plate MAD 8703, driven by Dumapias Nasiad, 50 of Digos City, lost control of the truck’s steering wheel and rammed a Hi-Ace van (MWB911), driven by Mark Anthony Bunda.
Bunda and 16 others were burned to death when the van flipped twice, plunged into a drainage canal, and burst into flames.
Tupas all the van passengers perished in the mishap.
“We are still investigating what triggered the collision, so far 17 are confirmed dead,” Tupas told NDBC.
“The area is accident prone,” said Castro Verdeblanco, Antipas municipal disaster risk reduction and management council.
Among the fatalities was a child who was thrown out of the van and later expired in the hospital.
Some of the passengers were farmers on their way to Kidapawan to receive to receive assistance from the government.