1 dead, 16 hurt in Benguet road accident
BAGUIO CITY, Philippines — A person was killed while 16 others, including two children, were hurt when a passenger van bound for Baguio City fell into a ravine along Naguilian Road in Sablan town in Benguet province on Sunday afternoon, reports from the police and the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) in the Cordillera region said on Monday.
Reports on Monday morning had yet to identify the lone fatality in the accident that happened at 5:20 p.m. Sunday.
The vehicle, a Toyota Hi-Ace van, was negotiating a road cut when it slipped and fell into a 40-meter ravine in Sitio Calot in Barangay (village) Banangan, said Senior Supt. Rodolfo Azurin, Benguet provincial police director.
Azurin said the 16 injured passengers were taken to the Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center (BGHMC) here and to the Benguet General Hospital (BeGH) in La Trinidad town.
The OCD said 10 passengers -– Jhon Paul Lagmay, 8; Snooky Lagmay, 29; Edilyn Rivera, 18; Melvin Rimando, 26; Mary Jane Licudine, 28; Romy Pertudo, 48; Sara Leen Joy Layoso, 19; Limuel Marquez, 27; Herbert Yao; and Cathlyn Velocora –- were being treated at the BGHMC.
The other victims – Angelica Escaltron, 29; Elynita de Paz, 26; Devina Estepa Pajara, 36; Mark Darren Querol, 39; Paul Estepa, 11; and Christina Estepa, 44 – were confined at the BeGH.
