7 killed in van, truck collision

COTABATO CITY, Philippines—Seven persons were killed and 11 others were injured when a passenger van collided with a dump truck in Parang town, Maguindanao, on Sunday.

Parang Mayor Ibrahim Ibay said the van, with 19 passengers and a driver, was headed toward Pagadian City when it collided at 11:45 a.m. with the dump truck that was going toward Barangay (village) Simuay, Sultan Kudarat.

Four of the passengers died on the spot while three others expired at the Cotabato Regional and Medical Center.

Soldiers belonging to the 37th Infantry Battalion, the first responders, said the van was a total wreck.

Ibay said five of the fatalities were women, including an 8-year-old girl.—Edwin Fernandez