8 killed, 25 hurt as jeepney falls off cliff on North Cotabato ‘killer’ highway 

KIDAPAWAN CITY– Eight commuters rushing home for their Christmas noche buena died while 25 others were injured when the jeepney they were riding plunged from a cliff in President Roxas town, North Cotabato on Sunday, police said.

Authorities identified three of the eight victims as Michael D. Dalig, Ryan Marfore, and Delfin Igian. They died on the spot. The rest, however, died at the hospital. Their names were unavailable as of this posting.

Chief Insp. Andres Sumugat Jr., town police chief, said the victims were from Kidapawan City and were heading home to Arakan town for noche buena after beating the Christmas rush in a mall when the highway crash occurred.

Wenfred Inutan, 32, resident of Barangay Doruloman in Arakan and driver of the passenger jeep (MVK-186), told police that the vehicle’s brake system broke down as he negotiated a downhill portion of the highway at 4:20 p.m. Sunday.

Many of the 25 individuals wounded sustained head injuries, police said, as the “double-tire” jeepney turned turtle several times before hitting the highway roadside railings and plunged into an African oil palm plantation.

The crash site has been tagged by daily commuters as “killer highway” because it is prone to accident and had already claimed the lives of several dozens of motorists.                                    /kga