50 hurt as bus tips over on Edsa
At least 50 people were hurt, three of them seriously injured, after a public utility bus fell on its side at the corner of Edsa and Estrella Street in Makati City Thursday night. An RRCG bus plying the southbound lane hit an electric post at 8:55 p.m. and toppled over, snarling traffic for about two hours as it lay across three lanes, said SPO3 Mady Domingo of the Makati Police Traffic and Enforcement Unit (TEU). Among the injured passengers was a woman who broke an arm and was brought to Ospital ng Makati. Representatives of RRCG Transport went to the police station and assured the families of the injured that the company would shoulder their medical expenses. The bus driver, 35-year-old Mark Angara, was detained by the police and would face charges for reckless imprudence resulting in multiple physical injuries.—Dexter Cabalza
Pasig LPG station blast: Death toll at 10; no one suing
Another victim succumbed to burn injuries suffered from the Jan. 11 explosion at an LPG refilling station in Barangay San Miguel, Pasig City, bringing the death toll to 10. The Bureau of Fire and Protection (BFP) office in Pasig identified the latest fatality as Domingo Guira, 29, who died at The Medical City hospital on Friday. The ninth fatality, Raymart Eda, 22, died at St. Luke’s Medical Center in Bonifacio Global City on Wednesday, while his cousin Joel Eda, a fellow employee at Omnigas Corp. which operated the station, died on Jan. 17 at Amang Rodriguez Memorial Medical Center. The seven earlier casualties were identified as William Khey, Jectopher Caoili, Romeo Eugenio, Camilo Alcaraz Jr., Jeffrey Eugenio, Alejandro Conrad and Jason Dagao. The BFP earlier said up to 21 people, mostly Omnigas employees, were injured in the blast, which was apparently caused by a gas leak in the facility. Senior Insp. Anthony Arroyo, BFP-Pasig investigation section chief, on Friday said 11 remained in the hospital. Arroyo said none of the victims’ families had shown an intention to file criminal charges over the “accident,” adding that they had been well-compensated by the company, which shouldered their medical and funeral expenses.—Jodee A. Agoncillo