Jeep plunges into ravine; 20 hurt

TUGUEGARAO CITY, Philippines – At least 20 of 40 passengers of a jam-packed jeepney were seriously hurt when the vehicle’s brakes malfunctioned, sending it plunging into a ravine in the remote mountain village of Marannao in San Mariano, Isabela on Thursday.

Dr. Felimon Donato, chief of the Gov. Faustino Dy Sr. Memorial Hospital in Ilagan City where several of those injured were rushed, said a certain Jaremias Taguimacom, 50, was among those seriously hurt.

Village councilman Bernabe Reynaldo, who drove the jeepney, said he lost control while negotiating a sharp curve after the brakes failed. He surrendered to the police after the incident.