6 Pinoys killed in Japan mishap

MANILA, Philippines - Six Filipino workers were killed and 22 others injured when a bus collided with a trailer truck at an intersection of Kameyama in Mie prefecture, western Japan yesterday morning, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) reported.

Twenty other Filipino workers, including one who had obtained Japanese citizenship, and two Japanese – the drivers of the bus and the truck – were injured. 

In her report to the DFA, Philippine Consul General Maria Lourdes Ramiro-Lopez said five of the Filipinos died immediately, while another died on the way to the hospital.

The names of the victims were withheld pending notification of their next of kin.

The Filipino fatalities were part of a group of 27 people who were in the minibus owned by a temporary staffing service, Ramiro-Lopez reported.

They were heading to a liquid crystal panel factory manufacturing parts for flat-panel televisions for Japanese electronics giant Sharp when their bus collided with the truck.

The injured Filipinos are now in hospital receiving treatment and being assisted by Consulate General staff members.

Ramiro-Lopez said the government is contacting local authorities in Mie prefecture to shed more light on the incident.

The Consulate General is also extending full assistance to the victims and their families and coordinating with the DFA Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers' Affairs for the repatriation of the victims’ remains.

Police arrested the truck driver, Takao Moriwaki, 45, who was required to stop at the crossroads, DFA said.