Army truck ploughs into pedestrians; 3 dead, 6 hurt

COTABATO CITY – An Army truck ploughed into a crowd of pedestrians along the highway in Sultan Mastura, Shariff Kabunsuan the other day, killing three and causing serious injuries to six others.

Worse, the driver of the 6x6 truck, which belongs to the Army’s 37th Infantry Battalion, sped away instead of pulling over to attend to the victims.

Two of the three fatalities have been identified as nine-year-old Baikong Linaya and Regine Burburan.

Traffic investigators in Sultan Mastura said most of the victims were waiting for a jeepney ride along the highway, which connects Cotabato City to Parang, Shariff Kabunsuan.

Lt. Col. Julieto Ando, spokesman of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, said their commander, Gen. Raymundo Ferrer, has directed the 37th IB commander to provide assistance to the victims’ families.

Four of the six injured pedestrians, Nasser Edzla, Datukan Delna, Abdul Baluno, and Guiamadel Gumol, are now confined in a hospital here.

Ando said the truck driver have volunteered to be placed in the custody of his battalion commander.

“He will also be investigated on why instead of helping the victims right on the spot, he sped away. We do not tolerate any misbehavior of our soldiers in the 6th ID,” he said.

The incident occurred just six days after an overloaded jeepney plunged into a 60-foot deep ravine in North Upi, Shariff Kabunsuan, killing four passengers.

The driver of the Cotabato City-bound jeepney lost control of the wheel while maneuvering a slippery uphill curve in Barangay Kibleg, North Upi.