Tragedy in Antipolo city

A runaway 18-wheel truck plowed into two vehicles and a row of houses and an eatery by the roadside in Antipolo City shortly before noon on Thursday, leaving eight people dead, including a 1-year-old boy, and 12 others injured.

An initial police investigation showed that the accident happened after the brakes of the cargo truck (RFD 594) failed as it was traveling on Sumulong Highway in Barangay Mambugan on its way to Masinag.

Philip Adriano, the driver of the truck, told the police that he tried to force the vehicle to a stop by ramming it into an owner-type jeepney and a passenger jeep.

The truck, however, kept on running and plowed into a row of houses and an eatery before it came to a stop.

Based on the documents found in the vehicle, it was registered to Rosa del Rosario of Rodel Rose Enterprise in Caloocan City.

The police also found a sachet of “shabu” (methamphetamine hydrochloride) and a lighter inside the 18-wheeler although they have yet to determine whether the driver was high on drugs at the time of the accident.

Authorities initially placed the number of fatalities at three but as the retrieval operations continued, the figure went up to eight.

Joey Marco, officer in charge of the City Disaster Risk Reduction Office, identified the dead as Marilyn Corpuz, Jonathan Sarol, 15; Jason Sarol, 17; and Liza Tobias, 22.

The rest have yet to be identified.

Senior Supt. Manuel Prieto, Rizal provincial police director, told the Inquirer that most of the fatalities were residents who happened to at the eatery when the accident occurred.

Six died on the spot while the others passed away while receiving treatment at a hospital.

Those who were injured, on the other hand, were Adriano and Artemio Molerion, 26; Angelica Javier, 64; Nicabel Balamento, 9; Evelyn Balamento, 61; Melvin Bunag, 25; Ramonito Asis; Catherine Fuentes, 56; Maria Balbastro, 61; Elpidio Balamento; John Carlo Corpuz Reyes, 1; and Lorna Casimiro Duenog, 30.

According to Prieto, most were riders of the passenger jeepney, except for the Molerions.

Of the 12, 10 were rushed to Amang Memorial Medical Center in Marikina City for treatment. The rest were taken to Antipolo Medical Center.

Philippine Red Cross officials who rushed to the scene said most of them suffered injuries in the head, legs and hips.

Meanwhile, in a statement, Mayor Nilo Leyble said that he had instructed the City Social Welfare and Development Office to provide aid to the victims.