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Marcos highway bus crash claims 30 lives

BAGUIO CITY (May 14) — The death yesterday of a five-year old girl who was among those who figured in the bloodiest Marcos Highway bus crash Wednesday morning brought to 30 the total death toll. Kin of 15 more who were brought to the Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center (BGHMC) here remain anxious of their respective relatives’ fate.

A lowland bound Byron mini-bus lost its brakes and hit a boulder riprap walling. It turned like a turtle along the downgrade stretch of Marcos Highway at sitio Bontiwey, Poblacion Tuba, Benguet province Wednesday morning. It was a total wreck, observers said.

Twenty seven passengers died while 18 other passengers fought for their lives at the hospital. Twenty four, all with broken skulls and dismembered and dislocated bones, died on the spot while two died Wednesday noon at the BGH. Two others died the following day.

The rest of the injured passengers brought to the BGHMC are still fighting for their lives, said hospital officials.

Initial investigation by Tuba police bared that the ill-fated Byron Bus with plate number AVD 800 and body number 1198 with a destination to Mangaldan town, in Pangasinan, was negotiating a tricky long downgrade along the highway near the Benguet viaduct when it reportedly encountered a brake problem.

Insp. Johnny Gaspar of the Tuba Police Station claimed the downgrade is really dangerous where accidents in the past also claimed lives.

Probers further bared that the driver, only identified as Aldo, lost his composure when the already speeding vehicle lost its break and steered to a high riprap boulder walling. The very strong impact dismembered the mini-bus’ roofing, then turned turtle. It hit the highway ground upside down that killed most of its passengers.

Two children ages 5 and 7 were reported dead in the accident, while a 6-month old baby survived.
The mishap, said Office of Civil Defense-Cordillera director Vicente Tomazar is yet the bloodiest mishap in the whole of the mountain region this year. # Artemio A. Dumlao for NORDIS

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