2 women dead, 4 hurt in Zamboanga road mishaps

ZAMBOANGA CITY — Two women perished while four others were critically injured in two separate vehicular accidents in this city this Saturday.

Police Captain Shellame Chang, spokesperson of the Zamboanga City Police Office, described Saturday as “somewhat bloody” because of the number of people hurt and killed and the number of vehicles involved.

Driver Ledomar Timpangco Lactao, 28, lost control of the water tanker truck he was driving and smashed it into about a dozen other vehicles at Sitio Suterville, Barangay San Jose Gusu at 11:14 a.m.

One was dead on the spot and four others, including two soldiers, were critically wounded.

Merilou Sahisa Maujon Tajonera, 29, was driving her motorbike when she was hit by the water tanker. She died on the spot.

Injured in the other affected vehicles were Vincent Ablay Celestino and Jun Carlo Sumalinog Deceirdo, both of this city; and Master Sergeant Sharnard Saharan de Guzman and Corporal Elvin Limor Laranja Jr., both assigned at the Armed Forces of the Philippines Western Mindanao Command based in this city.

Chang said Lactao is now in the custody of the Zamboanga City Police Station 8 pending the filing of charges against him.

All other vehicles involved in the incident were being transported to Station 8 for proper disposition.

Lactao told police he came from Barangay Ayala and was heading towards the city proper when his truck’s brake system failed while traversing an intersection in Suterville.

Earlier, at 4:12 a.m., Avelinda Alejado, 66, a vendor, died on the spot when a Fuso truck hit her stall along Governor Alvarez Street, this city.

Driver Aldrin Dosio, 21, of El Salvador, Misamis Oriental, crashed into Alejado’s sidewalk stall before hitting a concrete post.

One of the responding police from Zamboanga City Police Station 11 said Dosio might have fallen asleep while driving, causing him to hit the stall and the post. The driver is now held at the Zamboanga City Police detention center. /lzb