27 hurt in Quezon chapel crash after ‘miting de avance’

LUCENA CITY, Philippines — At least 27 people who attended a miting de avance (final campaign rally) of candidates in Dolores town in Quezon province were hurt after their vehicle slammed into a village chapel on Saturday night, police said on Sunday.

A report from the Quezon provincial police said the victims, who came from the town center, were aboard an Isuzu Elf truck and  on their way home to Barangay Kinabuhayan at 11:50 p.m. when the driver lost control of the vehicle after its brakes failed.

Police said the driver, Nepomuceno Rocha, tried to maneuver the vehicle to safety but it crashed into the chapel by the roadside.

Residents took the victims to a hospital in nearby San Pablo City in Laguna province./rga