4 soldiers missing as truck falls off bridge

Four Army soldiers were reported missing and several firearms and ammunition were lost when a military truck fell off the San Juanico Bridge, which connects the islands of Samar and Leyte, before dawn yesterday.

Initial reports from the Armed Forces' Visayas Command identified the four soldiers as T/Sgt. Antonio Ponio, S/Sgt. Manuel Cabradilla, Sgt. Luis Beltran Orapa and Cpl. Mamerto Beronilla, all belonging to the 8th Infantry Division based in Samar.

A fifth soldier, identified as Cpl. Ricky Padema, the truck driver, was rescued in the Leyte Gulf hours later.

The Visayas Command said the soldiers, on board an M-35 truck, were on their way back to Samar after transporting troops of the 82nd Recon Company when the incident occurred at about 1 a.m.

It said Padema apparently lost control of the wheel, causing the truck to hit the steel railing before plunging into the waters.

Two Viscom teams, along with the Coast Guard and fishermen, were still searching for the missing soldiers as of press time.