GENERAL SANTOS CITY, Philippines — Three more died in the gruesome highway accident here Thursday that caused the instant death of seven persons and injured six others.
Col. Paul Bometivo, director of the General Santos City police, confirmed Thursday that 10 van passengers died in the road mishap, possibly the worst in the city's history.
The accident involved a ten-wheeler hauler truck, a van fully loaded with passengers from Davao City and a Ford Raptor pick-up truck.
One of the two rear wheels of the ill-fated van exploded while its driver was maneuvering through a stretch of the Davao-GenSan Highway at the border of Barangays Batomelong and Tinagacan here, swerved towards the other lane and hit the two vehicles from the opposite direction of the thoroughfare.
Seven persons riding the van died on the spot.
Three others succumbed to injuries in a hospital later.
Bometivo identified the fatalities as Lalaine Joy Labang, Mylene Donaldo, Carlo Advincula, Regie Pag-ong, Ryan Jay Niñez, Alfredo Abatayo, Salvacion Masugbod and Rose Ann Macpal.
He said Noel Podadera and Cesar Andaya, passenger van and truck drivers, respectively, also perished in the accident.
The General Santos City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office is now extending essential interventions to the families of the accident fatalities and the badly injured now in different hospitals.