A dump truck loaded with sand and driven by Bren Bryan Constantino, 28, reportedly lost its brakes around 4:45 a.m. while overtaking another vehicle along the national highway in Barangay Aga, according to Batangas police.
The wayward truck crashed into a fruit stand on the left shoulder of the road, hit a motorcycle and a Mitsubishi Xpander GLX that came from the opposite direction, and consequently fell on its side.
The police said motorcycle rider Eduard Ferrer and seven passengers of the sport utility vehicle, including its driver, Hipolito Sangalang, all suffered severe injuries and died on the spot.
Investigators said Ferrer and the fatalities from the sport utility vehicle, six of whom were still unidentified, were buried in the sand.
An investigation was underway, the police said.
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