4-vehicle smashup: One dead, cargo of relief rice spills out

ORMOC CITY, Philippines —  A winged van, containing relief rice from the World Food Program (WFP), lost its brakes and veered out of control to crash into a container van, carrying phosphate gas, which in turn toppled over to its side into a motorcycle and a passenger tricycle.

The smashup resulted in a road blockade with the cargo of rice bags spilt out and one body so far recovered by City Rescue Unit personnel.

While more bodies were believed to be pinned down by the rice cargo and the container van, as of press time, the only recovered body has yet to be identified if he was the driver of one of the vans or the missing security guard that bystanders claimed to have been crushed also in the pileup.

The police have been tracing for more victims who might have been rushed to various hospitals in the city.

The van of relief rice was entering the city proper at about 5:15 p.m. Thursday when, as it was about to cross the highway, slammed into the container van of gas. The impact caused the former to crash into a motorcycle store and reportedly pinning down a security guard as a result.

The container van, for its part, toppled over a single motorcycle and a passenger tricycle, which driver Ronaldo Quizon and his passengers were able to escape the accident unhurt. He said that when he saw the winged van careening towards the container van, he shouted to his passengers to jump off quickly.

Quizon told The Freeman he also saw the riders of the motorcycle escaped from being crushed, but he was sure they were injured. He said they were a couple who had a child with them. (FREEMAN)