[wpgmappity id=”1419″]
NAGA CITY, Philippines – Five people were killed and 46 others were injured in a head-on collision between two buses along the stretch of the Maharlika Highway in Barangay (village) Mambulo Nuevo, Libmanan, Camarines Sur, early on Sunday, police said.
The drivers of both buses of Antonina Lines and Elavil Bus, a bus conductor and two passengers died on the spot at the site of the collision, which occurred at around 12:20 a.m., Police Officer 2 Emy Rose Organis of the Libmanan Municipal Police said in a phone interview.
The fatalities were Antonina Lines bus driver Christopher Prisulgo, a resident of Barangay Matabac, Tabaco City, Albay; Elavil Bus conductor Orlando Olit, 43, of Capalonga, Camarines Norte; Elavil Bus driver Elmer Bon, of Mercedes town, Camarines Norte; Antonina Lines bus passenger Marvin Ablay, 25, of Bagong Silang, Caloocan City; and another still unidentified male passenger.
Organis said the 46 injured, who were a mix of passengers from both buses, were brought to the Bicol Medical Center and Mother Seton Hospital in Naga City for treatment. Libmanan town is 39 kilometers away from Naga City.
Some of the injured passengers sustained serious wounds, Organis added.
Initial investigations revealed that the driver of the Manila-bound Antonina Lines lost control of the vehicle due to still unknown reason, causing it to swerve and collide with the Elavil Bus that was coming from the opposite direction on its way to Naga City, she said.
Organis said the stretch of road where the accident happened has been noted by local authorities as an accident prone area.
The remains of the fatalities were brought to a funeral home in Libmanan to await autopsy and proper disposition, she said.