Bodies of 20 Iranians sent back home

CEBU CITY (Updated 12:30 p.m.) -- The bodies of 20 Iranians who were killed in a bus accident in Balamban town, Cebu last Sunday were already sent back to Iran.

A Boeing 747 passenger and cargo plane of Iran Air carried the bodies of the victims and their relatives, as well as some officials of the Iran Embassy.

The plane, which took off at 12:03 p.m. Sunday from Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA), was reportedly rented by the Iran government and was sent to Cebu just to take the bodies of the 20 victims.

Before the flight, a ceremonial send off was held at the tarmac of MCIA. It was attended by the victims' relatives, members of the Iran Embassy, officials of Cebu Doctors University and Gullas Medical Center, as well as local officials, including Cebu City Mayor-elect Mike Rama.

Officials of the Iran Embassy said Boeing 747 will directly fly to Iran and 30 crew members were needed as the flight would take for about 10 hours. They thanked the local officials and those who helped in the rescue of the victims.

The embassy also assured that the relationship between Iran and Philippine governments will stay the same, adding that it will not send Iranian investigators to probe the accident.

As of this posting Sunday, relatives of the Iranian victims who went to MCIA to bid goodbye have started going home. Some of them also thanked those who helped in facilitating and processing the victims' travel documents.

The 20 Iranians were killed when the tourist bus they were riding plunged into a ravine on June 13 while negotiating a mountain road in Balamban town in Cebu.

The bus carrying dozens of mostly Iranian tourists apparently lost its brakes and plummeted into a 30-meter ravine at the Trancentral Highway in Balamban.

The Filipino driver and a tourist guide were also killed.

Poorly maintained vehicles and roads, along with inadequate safety signs, railings, training and weak traffic law enforcement are blamed for many deadly accidents in the Philippines. (Sunnex)