NAGTIPUNAN, Quirino Province —A dozen people, including the driver, were seriously hurt when a van fell off a 30-foot cliff in Barangay Sangbay here, police in this town confirmed.
The Philippine National Police in Nagtipunan said the incident took place around 2:30 p.m. on Sunday along a hilly portion of the road connecting Quirino and Aurora provinces.
Initial investigation by the police points to a mechanical defect as the cause of the crash.
The driver of the van bearing plate number XJA 832 was identified as Mardy P. Biscara, 34, a resident of San Antonio, Ramon, Isabela.
“The injured passengers and driver were brought to the Maddela District Hospital,” Nagtipunan PNP’s PO2 Jose Ambatali told the media.
They are Jonar Aragon (32 years old), Jean Aragon (34), Lena Aragon (8), Sander Aragon (5), Kyle Aragon (3), Carlo Benabice (12), and Henry Benabice (60), all residents of Barangay Ligaya, Aglipay, Quirino;
Cyrelle Biscara (5) of San Antonio, Ramon, Isabela; Christian Jones Ballesteros (11) of Santa Ana, Manila; Ricky Belmonte (36) of Barangay Dibul, Saguday, Quirino; and Uying Carbonel (56) of Magsaysay, Saguday, Quirino.
The Philippine Statistics Authority has cited Region 2 with the most road crashes in the past five years. The most recent tragedy in the region was bus that fell off the national highway along Carranglan, Nueva Ecija, killing 33 and injuring 41 people.