Bus falls down ravine in Bataan with 47 passengers, mostly teachers, on board

RESCUE. A team of rescuers attempt to raise the school bus that had fallen down a ravine in Ornani, Bataan on Saturday, Nov. 5, to get to the wounded passengers. The bus was carrying 47 persons, most of them public school teachers. Photo from Bataan PNP

ORANI, Bataan — A school bus carrying 47 passengers, most of them public school teachers, fell down a ravine in Orani town in Bataan province on Saturday, Nov. 5, police said.

The police report said the bus that was driven by Marcelino Oliva, 62 and a resident of San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan, fell down a ravine about 60 meters deep in Sitio (sub-village) Butatero at Barangay (village) Tala around 11:40 a.m.

Police Colonel Romell Velasco, Bataan police director, said some of the passengers were possibly injured. Rescue operations are still ongoing.

Investigators said the school bus driver told police the vehicle’s brake malfunctioned as he negotiated a sharp curve near a ravine.

An initial report from the police said the teachers were from Quezon City but it was not clear yet why they were in Bataan province.

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