Pregnant woman, son killed in Negros road accident

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines—A pregnant woman and her son were killed while 24 others were injured after a Bacolod City-bound mini-bus fell off a bridge and into a creek in Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental, Tuesday noon, police said.

An investigation by the Himamaylan police showed the mini-bus, driven by Benjie Himalaya, slammed into the barrier of the bridge in Barangay (village) Caradio-an before plunging into the Calasa Creek, killing Rochelle Lagahit, 27, and her son Cyrill John, 7.

Police Officer 1 Rene Muñez, traffic investigator of the Himamaylan police, said Lagahit, who was five months pregnant, and her son died on the spot.

Accounts from the scene indicated mother and son were in the seats behind the driver.

Muñez added that 24 other passengers, including Himalaya and the fare collector, were rescued from the fallen bus and rushed to the Valeriano Gatuslao Memorial Hospital in Himamaylan and the Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital in Bacolod City.

The bodies of the fatalities, who are residents of Barangay Tagda, Hinigaran, were identified and claimed on Tuesday by their relatives, Muñez said.

The investigation also showed the driver might have fallen asleep at the wheel, leading to the accident.

Muñez said the bus came from Kabankalan.