14 dead in Kalinga, Isabela road mishaps

TABUK CITY – At least 14 people were confirmed dead in three separate road accidents in Kalinga and Isabela last week.

Three persons died while a nine-year-old child was injured when the truck they were riding fell into a ravine in Isabela Wednesday, bringing to 14 the number of fatalities from road accidents in the province and neighboring Kalinga over the past three days.

Authorities identified the latest fatalities as Dante Salvador, 45, a councilman of Villa Campo, Echague town; Benjamin Calaro, 39; and Ronald Pastor, 22.

The truck, loaded with 120 sacks of corn, reportedly had 11 passengers when it met the tragedy.

On Tuesday April 13, an overloaded mini-bus also plunged into a ravine in Tabuk City, Kalinga, killing eight passengers and injuring 51 others.

Eight people, including a soldier, died while 51 others were seriously injured on Tuesday when the passenger bus they were riding in plunged into a deep ravine here, a local police commander said Wednesday.

Senior Supt. Virgilio Laya, director of the Kalinga Provincial Police, said two of the 51 injured passengers were in critical condition at the Kalinga Provincial Hospital.

Laya said the Lovely Mae bus (AYA-268) was heading toward the Tabuk City proper from Bontoc, Mountain Province when the driver suddenly lost control of the vehicle in Barangay Naneng around 2 p.m. on April 13.

"Investigation revealed the accident was caused by mechanical failure," said Laya.

The vehicle then fell on a deep ravine in the area injuring all the people on board.
He identified the eight fatalities as Christopher Cuesta, Samson Ao-as, Jojo Bugnay, Chyna Fokyas, Boy Alunday, Francis Macliing, Shanalyn Cawilan and Jamari Ricardo, who is believed to be a soldier assigned to the 54th Infantry Battalion.

All the injured victims, Laya said, were taken to the Kalinga Provincial Hospital wherein two of them are under medical observation due to serious injuries they suffered.

The Kalinga tragedy came a day after three persons died while two others were seriously injured when the motorcycles they were riding collided along the national highway in San Manuel, Isabela Monday night.

Two of the fatalities were identified as Aristotle Lunacan, 19, and Gil Bautista, 30.