2 killed as passenger van falls into ravine in Compostela Valley town

TAGUM CITY, Davao del Norte, Philippines – At least two persons were killed when a passenger van carrying beneficiaries of the government’s conditional cash transfer program fell into a ravine in an upland village in Monkayo, Compostela Valley on Thursday, local authorities said.

An undetermined number of people were also injured following the accident at Sitio (Sub-village) Landing 14, Barangay Upper Ulip around 7 a.m., said Joan Pintal, municipal disaster action officer.

The van carrying beneficiaries of the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) conditional cash transfer program from Mt. Diwalwal village, was heading to the town proper, some 14 kilometers away, when the accident happened, Pintal said.

“They were on their way to claim their allowance in Poblacion. Allegedly, the van’s brakes malfunctioned, causing the vehicle to head straight to a deep cliff and plunge,” Pintal told Philippine Daily Inquirer.

She said the injured were rushed to the nearest hospital for treatment. An investigation into the accident has startef, Pintal added.