ZAMBOANGA CITY – A soldier died while 25 others, mostly soldiers, were injured in a mishap in Barangay Mirangan in Siay, Zamboanga Sibugay early Saturday.
Major General Roseller Murillo, commander of the 1st Infantry Division, said the soldiers from the 35th Infantry Battalion came from Sulu and were on their way to Pulacan in Labangan, Zamboanga del Sur for the Army Squad Challenge when the truck they were riding in turned turtle at past midnight.
Twenty soldiers were injured along with five civilians.
He said three of the civilians wounded were dependents of some soldiers.
Murillo said the details of the incident were still scant but the initial report was that the driver, whom he did not identify, lost control of the vehicle while passing by Mirangan past 12 midnight.
“The driver noticed that he was deviating from his lane and suddenly applied the brakes. He lost control of the vehicle,” Murillo said.