2 killed, 10 hurt as bus falls into ravine in San Carlos City

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines— (UPDATE 2) At least two persons were killed and 10 others were wounded Wednesday night when a bus, whose driver insisted on driving with defective headlights, fell into a ravine on the outskirts of San Carlos City in Negros Occidental. Five or six passengers were unaccounted for.

The driver, Teodoro Aburido, died on the spot when the Ceres Liner bus he was piloting plunged into a ravine that was at least 60 meters deep. The bus was headed for San Carlos from Bacolod, and swerved off the road in Sitio Dukog-dukog, Barangay Rizal, in San Carlos.

Chief Insp. Victorino Romanillos, acting chief of the San Carlos police, said they had yet to identify the second fatality.

He said the authorities  were still searching for about five to six passengers who remained missing.

The police have yet to determine the real cause of the accident, but passengers reported that the headlights of the bus had gone out at least four times while they were travelling through the foggy road.

They claimed that Aburido continued driving until the bus fell into the ravine.

Police said there were 21 people on board—18 passengers, the driver, an bus inspector and a conductor.

The Ceres bus with body number 5229 left Bacolod past 5 p.m. through Don Salvador Benedicto town.

When it reached Dukog-dukog, the bus fell into a ravine that was at least 60 meters deep.

Romanillos said members of various rescue groups in San Carlos City, and San Carlos policemen immediately went to the scene to rescue the passengers.

Among the 10 passengers who were wounded was PO3 Edsel Villanueva, a member of the Calatrava Police Station.

Romanillos said four of those wounded were taken to two hospitals in San Carlos City but were later transferred to medical facilities in Bacolod.