ZAMBOANGA CITY , Philippines – At least two passengers were killed and 10 others, including the driver, were injured when the passenger bus they were riding flipped over and crashed Sunday night along the highway in Zamboanga Sibugay, an official here said yesterday.
The bus of Rural Transit (9350), driven by a certain Reyes with 10 passengers and a conductor came from Pagadian City, capital of Zamboanga del Sur and was bound to Zamboanga City when it met an accident about 8 p.m. in the vicinity of Barangay Silingan in R.T Lim town in Zamboanga Sibugay.
Efren de la Cruz, Rural Transit Management Inc. terminal-in-charge, said based on the account of their driver, while the ill-fated bus was cruising the descending curve of the highway an “old man” suddenly appeared prompting the driver to maneuver the bus.
“The bus swerved to its left and flipped over on its side and crashed killing two of the passengers and injured the rest of the passengers and driver on board,” De la Cruz said.
The ill-fated bus was ripped out as it slammed with its belly up, according to authorities.
The victims were rushed to the nearby hospital in Ipil, Zamboanga Sibugay.
Names of the two killed passengers were not immediately known.
According to De la Cruz, the area where their bus crashed is considered as “accident prone” and several vehicles in the past weeks has encountered accidents.
“It seems that spot is enchanted because some of those who met an accident in that same area claimed they have seen either a man, woman or child that would just appear causing the driver to panic,” De la Cruz said.
De la Cruz said management has already promised to shoulder the medical expenses of the victims who were hospitalized while financial assistance will be extended to those who were killed in the tragedy.