8 dead in Lucena bus collision

LUCENA CITY , PHilippines  – Eight people were killed, including a three-year-old girl, while more than 40 others were injured when a Manila bound bus collided with another passenger bus in Lucena City Sunday midnight, according to police.

Senior Superintendent Elmo Sarona, Quezon police director, identified the fatalities as Rizzy Baguyo, 3, her mother Rean and grandmother Emelina Baguyo; Romeo Buban, alternate bus driver, Melchor Candano and Marife Pada.

Two more fatalities remain unidentified as of press time.

Among those in critical condition are 19-year-old Cristy Cabilda Cabuya, Rolly Buela, 23, Aileen Plaza, 20 and an unidentified male teenager.

They were brought to the Mount Carmel Diocesan General Hospital.

According to authorities, a Lucena Bus Lines bus (DWS-795) driven by Victor Alcantara was traversing the Maharlika Highway when it collided with the oncoming Bragais Line bus (EVM-934) driven by Jose Montealegre around midnight.

Surviving passengers told authorities that the Lucena-bound bus swerved to the left lane as the driver maneuvered to overtake, subsequently hitting the Manila-bound Bragais bus on the opposite lane.

Because of the impact, the left portion of the body of the Bragais bus was stripped off, killing the seven passengers instantly.

Alcantara escaped after the accident but surrendered to authorities a few hours later.

Relatives of the Baguyo family said Rizzy’s father, an overseas Filipino worker, was scheduled to arrive in Manila on Monday and the victims were supposed to fetch him at the airport when the accident occurred.

Rescuers from the Philippine National Police, local government units, Task Force Lucena consisting of the Philippine Army in Southern Luzon Command and medical staff of Quezon Medical Center joined in the operation.

Police said the rescue operation lasted for at least two hours because most of the victims were pinned inside the two buses, making it difficult to extricate them.                – Arnell Ozaeta, Ed Amoroso