COTABATO CITY (MindaNews /25 March) – Seventeen persons were killed when a truck loaded with sand collided with a passenger van in Antipas, North Cotabato Monday noon.
Captain Godofredo Tupas, Chief of Police of Antipas town said the collision happened along a curve at the boundary of Barangay Greenhills and Lohong at 12:48 p.m. The van had just left Antipas and was bound for Kidapawan.
Tupas said the truck driver lost control of the brakes and hit a van on the opposite side of the road.
“The truck dragged the van for about 50 meters which possibly caused friction and ended in conflagration,” Tupas told Mindanews in a telephone interview Monday night.
“We could hardly identify the others because most of them were charred,” he said.
Tupas identified 11 of those who were killed as Mark Anthony Q. Bunda, 26, the van driver; passengers May Grace Aaaron, 38; Kimberly Armada, 20; Ernesto BR Balolong, Sr 82; Perse Veranda C. Balolong, 73; Xian P. Gellantilay, 5; Mary Jane Lopez, 52; Irish Lopez, 30; Ryse Vince Lopez Suan, 6; Shirley S. Pojas, 28; and Genevieve Vicente, 58.
Six others have yet to be identified.
Passenger Rosario Lopez Reyes is still confined at the Antipas Medical Specialist Hos Inc. (Ferdinandh B. Cabrera / MindaNews)
