9 killed in North Cotabato road accident

NORTH COTABATO, Philippines - Nine commuters were killed before dawn Saturday when a wayward passenger van slammed on a huge tree along a stretch of the Cotabato-Davao Highway in Matalam, North Cotabato.

Three badly injured passengers were rushed by responding barangay officials to a hospital.

Traffic investigators said witnesses saw the ill-fated van wiggle uncontrollably first before hitting the tree with massive force.

Chief Inspector Elias Colonia of the Matalam municipal police said nine passengers were killed in the accident.

“There was a possibility the driver of the van fell asleep while driving, causing the accident,” Colonia said.

He said the scene of the accident in Barangay West Patadon, located at the border of Matalam town and North Cotabato’s provincial capital, Kidapawan City, is not an accident-prone area.

Eight passengers died on the spot while another succumbed an hour later while undergoing medication at a nearby hospital.

The van, bearing license plates LHM-995, was bound for Cotabato City. It was reported to have departed from a terminal in Davao City shortly after midnight Friday.

Colonia said the driver of the van, a certain Brendo Singco, escaped and is now subject of a police manhunt.