2 foreign soldiers hurt in Quezon vehicular mishap

LUCENA CITY –– Two foreign soldiers were injured when a reefer van hit the van they were riding in here Wednesday morning.

Lt. Col. Dennis Cana, information officer of the Army’s Southern Luzon Command (Solcom), in a report, identified the victims as Lt. Col. Stewart Raaf, a member of the Royal Australian Air Force and Lt. Bryan Eldredge, of the United States Navy.

The two are members of the planning team for the Balikatan Exercises.

A separate police report said the victims were on board a Toyota Commuter van being driven by Jaworski Sanchez when their vehicle was hit by a Fuso reefer van being driven by Derrick Orig along the diversion road in Barangay Ibabang Dupay around 9 a.m.

Police said the reefer van overtook another vehicle but when it was returning to its lane, hit the front left side of the Toyota van.

Cana said Solcom rescuers rushed to the site some three kilometers away from the military camp and attended to the victims.

Raaf suffered minor bruises and was confined at the Solcom hospital, while Eldredge was rushed to the Lucena United Doctors Hospital due to a fractured right shoulder.

A Philippine Army officer, who was with the victims, was unhurt./lzb