2 killed in separate highway incidents

A man died after he fell from a cargo truck in Borbon town while a woman was killed when a passenger bus hit the tricycle she was riding in Sibonga municipality the other day.

The first incident happened when Federico Notivo of Pamplona, Negros Oriental died after he fell from the cargo truck he was riding in Borbon around 7 a.m. last Thursday.

Report said the victim, a truck helper, was sitting on top of over 500 bags of cement piled on the 10-wheeler Isuzu cargo truck with two other fellow helpers, Virgilio Momongan, 18, and Efril Mendez, 19.

The truck, bearing plate number GWS-104 and was driven by Arsenio Alvarado, 26, was traveling from Cebu City bound for Medellin town when several cement bags accidentally fell down the road along with the three truck helpers in barangay Laaw, Borbon.

Notivo was killed instantly while Momongan and Mendez, who sustained several injuries in different parts of their bodies, were rushed to Juan Dosado Memorial Hospital.

In the other incident, Alice Villamor of barangaySimala, Sibonga died after a Ceres Bus Liner sideswiped the tricycle she was riding in barangay Bahay.

Investigators from the Sibonga Police Station said the tricycle, which was carrying four passengers, and the passenger bus, with plate number FWC-876 and was driven by Noe Esmino, were both bound for Cebu City.

But upon reaching barangay Bahay, the bus accidentally sideswiped the tricycle, injuring tricycle driver Vicente Manulang, 43, and his four passengers.

Manulang and his passengers, Villamor, Violeta Billones, Melanie Tiro and Evangeline Cenas were brought to a hospital in Cebu City, but Villamor was pronounced dead on arrival.

Esmino voluntarily surrendered to police authorities after the incident. — Efmer Agustin, UP Tacloban intern/LPM