3 killed, 7 injured in separate vehicular mishaps

THREE people were killed while seven others were injured on three separate vehicular accidents in Zamboanga City and in nearby province of Zamboanga Sibugay, the police said Thursday.

The fatalities were identified as Alexander Salac, Ricky Bulahan, and Marlon Calago.

Of the seven wounded, only four were immediately identified and they are: Alaysa Adilanie, Yesa Aliya Hadji, 8, Yasmir Khan Hadji, 5, and Candy Sarah Hadji, 11.

Salac, Bulahan and Calago died in motorcycle-bus collision that took place around 12:10 a.m. Tuesday along the national highway in the village of Kauswagan, Diplahan, Zamboanga Sibugay.

Diplahan police officer-in-charge Inspector Leonardo Panes said Calago was driving a motorcycle with Salac and Bulahan as passengers when they collided with the bus of the Rural Transit Management Inc. driven by Nicomedes Lada, 51.

Investigation showed that the motorcycle was running at high speed and suddenly crossed the highway hitting the driver side of the bus, which was traveling from Zamboanga City to Pagadian City, the capital of Zamboanga del Sur province, Panes said.

Salac and Bulahan died on the spot while Calago died on the way to the hospital, he said.

Lada surrendered to the police after the accident while the fatalities’ remains were taken to the funeral parlor, he said.

Adilanie and the three children were injured when a passenger van sideswiped the motorcycle she was driving around 5:45 p.m. Wednesday in the village of Upper Calarian, west of the city.

The passenger van driven by Sadis Gustaham and Adilanie were traveling towards the west coast when the accident took place, the police said.

The other three injured victims whose identities were not immediately available were among the 10 passengers of a multicab that crashed on concrete barriers around 9 a.m. Thursday in Sitio Tuktukalaw, Quiniput, east of this city.

Police Station 2 commander Chief Inspector Ricardo Garcia said the multicab driven by Umbical Hamja crashed on a concrete barrier when he evaded an oncoming cargo truck driven by Jalil Ajilul while negotiating a winding downhill road.

The other passengers of the multicab only suffered bruises that didn’t require hospitalization, Garcia said.

They were on the way to visit their departed loved ones in a cemetery when the accident happened, Garcia said.

Both vehicles were impounded at the headquarters of the Police Station 2 located in Curuan village, 50 kilometers east of the city. (Bong Garcia)