Three people, including an 11-year-old boy, were killed and 11 others were injured when a wayward dump truck plowed into 10 vehicles in Taytay, Rizal yesterday morning.
Killed were 11-year-old Jonjon Miranda; Noel Macabuhay, and an unidentified woman.
Chief Superintendent Ricardo Padilla, Calabarzon police director, said the truck driver is now in police custody.
Padilla said the dump truck with license plate WFJ 291 had come from Binangonan town and was on its way to Manila when its driver lost control of the wheel in Barangay San Isidro at around 11:50 a.m.
Witnesses said the driver smashed the truck into a concrete barrier apparently to put it to a halt. But the barrier gave way and the truck plowed into three motorcycles, two FX taxis, two cars, a cargo truck, an owner-type jeep, and a passenger jeep, or a length of 30 meters.
The dump truck eventually came to a stop when it rammed into a sari-sari store, Padilla said.
Miranda, who was on board a motorcycle, which was dragged along with the owner-type jeep under the dump truck, died on the spot.
Macabuhay and the unidentified woman died while being treated at the Manila East Medical Center.
The incident created a monstrous traffic jam in the area as it took policemen and local workers several hours to untangle the wreckage of the truck, motorcycle and jeep.
Police are set to file charges of reckless imprudence resulting in multiple homicide and multiple physical injuries against the driver, who is now detained at the Taytay police jail.