4 dead, 7 hurt in collision

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines — Three Boy Scout members and a security guard were killed and seven others were wounded when a dump truck that was taking them to Ipil town collided with a bus yesterday afternoon along the highway in Siay town, Zamboanga Sibugay province.

The fatalities were identified as Boy Scouts Regie Frego, 15; Mark John Agot, 14; and Rolando Sedano; and Arnel Yuay- an, 38, a security guard of Olutanga Na- tional High School. The injured were not immediately identified.

Chief Superintendent Elpedio de Asis, Police Regional Office 9 director, said the accident occurred at 3 p.m. in sitio Gunawan in Barangay Monching.

He said the Boy Scouts were on their way to a four-day jamboree in Ipil that was supposed to start tomorrow when the truck collided with the Pagadian-bound bus of Rural Transit Inc. with body number 9164.

Police Director Felicisimo Khu, chief of the Directorate for Integrated Police Operation (DIPO) Western Mindanao, said they were checking the claim of the bus management that two dump trucks ferrying Boy Scouts “were racing against each other.”

The bus went off the road to evade one truck but was sideswiped by the second truck, which was trying to overtake the first one, Khu said.

He said the drivers of the two dump trucks have been held for questioning at the Siay Municipal Police Station.