4 dead, 8 hurt in Batangas road accident

BATANGAS CITY—Four, including a policeman, died while eight others were injured in an accident at Natatas Road in Tanauan City in Batangas province Thursday morning, police said.

Supt. Renato Mercado, Tanauan police chief, said victims Raymond Llenado, Senior Police Officer 3 Marqueses Valentino, Marvel Itoralde, and Nanette Aton died in the accident while Juveline Kaye Castillo, Lalaine Gabriel, Vicente Castillo, John Rowell, Erwin Latarya, Jarneil Gatpayat, Charles Joshua Castillo, and Lester John Salazar were wounded.

Investigation showed that driver Richard Lozano lost control of the 10-wheeler truck he was driving and rammed into a tricycle that had victims Llenado, Valentino, Itoralde, Aton, Juveline Kaye Castillo, and Gabriel on board at about 7:30 a.m. The third vehicle, another tricycle driven by Vicente Castillo, with passengers Rowell, Latarya, Gatpayat, Charles Joshua Castillo, and Salazar was also hit.

“The vehicles were all traveling the same direction but the truck plowed the first trike then rammed into another tricycle in the front,” said Mercado.

The victims were brought to CP Reyes and Mercado Hospital in Tanauan City for treatment but the four casualties died while in transit.

The suspect Lozano is now under the custody of Tanauan police. /je