2 die, 17 hurt as passenger van turns upside down in Isabela
SAN MATEO, Isabela — Two people died and 17 others were injured when a passenger van toppled and slammed into an electric post in Barangay (village) San Antonio on Saturday (April 8) at 2:05 a.m.dawn. Ten-year-old Veronica Salvador and Aldrin Gutierrez, 46, died on the way to the hospital, police said. The accident injured the driver and vehicle’s owner Eduardo Villaflor, who lost control of the van when its tie rid detached, and barely missed a house as it collided with the post. The crash injured 16 other passengers: Merlita Fuentes, 47; Emma Vidal, 54; Augusto Fuentes, 56, and daughter Anna Fuentes, 21; brothers Chelvin Regalario, 9-year-old, and Gervin Regalario, 11; Rizal Vidal, 51; Mary Ann Villaflor, 11; Maribeth Vidal, 47; brothers Cenimlab, 6, and Charles Amid Pajarillo; Nica Joy Santos, 11; Rosita Villaflor, 57; Lilibeth Alava, 43; Ferly Jane Alava; 19; and Christian Alava, 13. They were brought to various hospitals in the cities of Santiago and Cauayan. Villaflor, 56, surrendered to the police after being treated by doctors.
