FIVE of the 10 Japanese nationals who were traveling to Barangay Tan-awan, Oslob town, southern Cebu, to watch whale sharks ended up in the hospital after the van they were riding collided with a prime mover truck around 4 a.m. Saturday, March 9, 2024, in Barangay Langtad, City of Naga.
The injured foreigners, all of whom were female, were taken to separate hospitals along with the van’s driver, Baby June Fabillar Limbaga, 43, of Barangay Labangon, Cebu City.
Master Sergeant Paul Baclay, traffic investigator of San Fernando Police Station, told SunStar Cebu that they also responded to the scene.
He said some of the victims were transported to the Carcar City District Hospital by an ambulance of the Badian local government unit (LGU), which was returning to Badian after bringing a patient to Cebu City, while the rest were taken to the South General Hospital by the ambulance of the City of Naga.
It was found in an investigation conducted by the Naga City police that the prime mover truck driven by Randy Ypil Lato, 49, of Barangay Guinsay, Danao City, suddenly emerged at the national highway, causing the van to collide with it.
Lato is currently being held at the Naga City Police Station. (DVG, TPT)