3 killed in Kennon mishap

BAGUIO CITY — A van carrying revelers to a flower festival here went out of control and plummeted down a deep ravine yesterday morning, killing three people and injuring eight, officials said.

The dead were identified as Silvestre Ramirez, Arget Ranete and Perry Lazo.

Taken to the Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center for treatment were Juliet Ranete, driver Zaldy Cruz, Archie Ranete, Princess Lazo, Pablo Islan, Arjay Ranete, Fely Lazo and Cindy Gabriel, all of Cabanatuan City.

The van was wrecked after smashing into rocks on the creek.

Soldiers, police and residents used ropes to retrieve the dead and injured from the wreckage at the rocky bottom of the 200-meter deep ravine off Kennon Road near this mountain resort city.

Baguio City police chief Superintendent Francisco Manalo said the van was trying to negotiate a tight uphill curve near the landmark lion’s head on Kennon Road on the way to Baguio City when it smashed into the concrete railing.

Police investigators said the van developed a mechanical problem and the driver apparently lost control as the van tried to make the hairpin turn.

Relatives said they will bring the bodies of the victims to Cabanatuan City today.

The victims were on their way to the closing ceremonies of the eighth Baguio flower festival called "Panagbenga."

Baguio City Vice Mayor Lourdes Tabanda said she and other city officials will look into the safety of roads leading to the summer capital.

Officials said the Baguio City engineering department will investigate the accident and adopt safety measures, especially with the coming of summer when many tourists visit the city.

Such accidents in rural areas of the Philippines are frequent because public vehicles are old and poorly maintained, and dangerously narrow roads often lack safety signs and guardrails. — Artemio Dumlao