30 hurt in bus accident in Alabang Viaduct

MANILA, Philippines—Thirty passengers were injured, two of them in critical condition, after a bus they were riding hit the railing of the Alabang Viaduct in Muntinlupa City and flipped on its side Monday afternoon.

Chief Inspector Noel Buñag, head of the Muntinlupa Traffic Enforcement Unit, said that at around 4:55 p.m., an air-conditioned Jac Liner bus with plate number PXU 314, which was traveling to Biñan, Laguna, suffered from a burst tire.

“The bus’ right rear tire burst, which caused it to hit the railing of the viaduct. The driver tried to bring the bus to the fast lane of the viaduct, but then it flipped on its side,” Buñag said in a telephone interview.

As the bus hit the viaduct’s railing, two passengers—a male and a female—were thrown from the bus and fell into the main road below, or from a height of about 30 to 40 feet.

“The two were immediately taken to the Ospital ng Muntinlupa, where they are still under critical condition,” Buñag said.

Some 25 other victims were taken to the same hospital for treatment, and seven others to the Asian Hospital.

The names of the victims and the driver have yet to be released by the Highway Patrol Group, which is investigating the incident. The Inquirer’s calls to the HPG were unanswered.

Buñag said the road was slippery when the incident happened.

“It was raining heavily at the time, and the road was very slippery,” he said.

The incident snarled traffic along the highway. The Citra O&M Corp., which operates the Skyway, reported that as of 7:11 p.m. the southbound part of the Alabang Viaduct had been closed for cleanup.