5 killed, 17 hurt in North Cotabato road mishap

COTABATO CITY – Five people, including two children, were killed while 17 others were injured in a road accident in Matalam, North Cotabato yesterday.

Initial reports said the victims were riding on an Isuzu Elf truck which lost control and careened off the road before plunging in a ravine 30 feet deep.

The fatalities were identified as one-year-old Charles Campano, Eugene Alicante, two-years-old, Ricardo Cantomayor, 70; Merlita Calamba, 45; and Anita Condez, 43, who all died on the spot from head injuries sustained in the accident.

Police said the victims were among the 40 hitchhikers from Tulunan, North Cotabato, who were about to attend a funeral of a relative in the city.

The still unidentified driver reportedly lost control of the truck after its brakes malfunctioned.

Of the 17 injured passengers, 13 of them were last reported in critical condition at the North Cotabato provincial hospital in Kidapawan City. – John Unson