ATIMONAN, Quezon, Philippines — Four persons died when a delivery van fell into a ravine and caught fire in Barangay Malinao Ilaya in this town yesterday.
It took several hours before the driver of the closed van, Juris Jondoc, 36; alternate driver Rolando Salvia and helpers John Rey de la Cruz, 19, and Ronie Boy Malanot, 26, were retrieved from the vehicle. The victims were taken to the Doña Martha District Hospital for postmortem investigation.
“They were trapped in the burning vehicle... and retrieved after almost eight hours,” Chief Inspector Michael Encio, Atimonan police chief, said.
Initial investigation showed the driver of the van lost control of the wheel when he overshot a sharp curve along the New Diversion road at around 3:35 a.m. The van was loaded with detergent soap.
In Albay, five persons were injured when a 10-wheeler truck loaded with bags of cement rammed a house along the highway in Barangay Iraya, Oas on Friday.
Police said the cargo truck was on its way to Naga City when it developed mechanical trouble.
Investigations into the accidents are ongoing. – With Celso Amo