Friday, April 18, 2008
Bus plunges into ravine, killing 9 and injuring 20 (4 p.m.)
MANILA -- A passenger bus plunged into a ravine in the northern Philippines on Friday, killing nine people and injuring more than 20, police said.
Senior Inspector Reulito Barcelo said the brakes on the bus apparently malfunctioned as it was negotiating a sharp curve on an unpaved highway in Pantabangan town in Nueva Ecija province. The bus crashed into a 25-meter (82-feet) -deep ravine.
Four women and five men were killed in the accident, Barcelo told The Associated Press. He said at least 20 other passengers, including a 5-year-old child, were brought to hospitals.
Barcelo said it was not clear how many people had been on the bus because some of the injured were taken to hospitals by passing cars before police arrived.
The driver of the bus was injured and the bus conductor could not be found, said Senior Police Officer Rocky Garcia of the Nueva Ecija provincial police headquarters.
Bus accidents are common in the Philippines because of poor maintenance, lack of road hazard signs and railings, and reckless drivers. (AP) |
