Vagrant killed in MRT mishap

A man was killed after he was hit by a north-bound train of the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) 3 in Quezon City yesterday morning.

Police investigators are still trying to establish the identity of the victim – the first casualty of an MRT accident since starting operations in 2000. The victim, said to be a vagrant, died on the spot after he sustained severe head and body injuries.

The accident happened at around 10:30 a.m. before the MRT coaches reached the Santolan-Anapolis station near the headquarters of the Armed Forces of the Philippines at Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City.

Initial investigation showed that the victim was seen climbing the fence of the railing near Gate 5 of Camp Aguinaldo along EDSA. He then appeared from nowhere and ran toward the train.

The incident left hundreds of MRT passengers stranded for half an hour after management ordered a temporary stop in its operations. The MRT resumed normal operations after police completed their investigation. – Christina Mendez, Sheila Crisostomo