Fourteen people died while three others were in critical condition when their truck plunged into a 40-meter ravine in Mabinay, Negros Oriental, on Wednesday, initial reports from the local police said.
The victims, who are relatives, were heading to Bayawan City to buy cattle for their farms in La Libertad town when the accident happened at 1 p.m., said Police Maj. Nelson Lamoco, chief of the Mabinay police.
The driver lost control of the wheel, causing the truck to overshoot the road and fall into the ravine at Sitio Tubod in Barangay Bulwang, about 50 kilometers from their destination, Lamoco told the Inquirer in a telephone interview.
“The area is really accident-prone. Because the road is curved, there have been several accidents … in that area,” he added.
READ: 14 dead, 3 critically injured in Negros Oriental road mishap
The three injured passengers, including the driver, remained in critical condition at the Mabinay Medicare Hospital.
Police had yet to release the names of the victims and other details of the accident while investigation continued on Wednesday afternoon. —WITH A REPORT FROM CARLA P. GOMEZ