Two more dead in Mandaluyong road accident

Two more victims of a highway accident in Mandaluyong City on Saturday night died yesterday, bringing to nine the number of people killed when the passenger jeepney they were riding plunged 30 meters (100 feet) into a 70-foot hole at a construction site.

Police said the brakes of the jeepney failed and the driver, who was among those killed in the crash, tried to stop his run-away vehicle by slamming it against a wall, unaware that it was a flimsy wooden partition separating the road from the pit, dug for the foundations of a building.

The passengers were on their way home from a religious meeting to commemorate All Saints’ Day.

Seven of the passengers were already dead when lifted from the wreckage by a rescue team headed by Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairman Bayani Fernando. They were identified as Reynaldo Destura, the jeepney driver; Romulo Tacatani; Ernesto Ricamara and his wife, Ignacia; Elizabeth Galang, 42; Veronica Guian, 47; and Francis Tugade.

Two more victims died yesterday of severe injuries at the Victor Potenciano Medical Center. They were identified as Salvacion Destura, 61 and her grandson, Ryan, 9.

Five passengers — Divini Guiab, 14; his brother Daniel, 7; Clarence Destura, 5; Ronald Falleria, 38 and Reggie Abella, 23, survived but were injured and in serious condition.

Velasquez said all the victims were members of the "Gawaing Born Again" and had just come from a prayer rally in Quezon City.

The victims were on their way home to Muntinlupa City when Destura lost control of the passenger jeepney they were riding along EDSA near the Boni Ave. station of the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) at about 8:30 p.m.

Witnesses said Destura decided to ram the vehicle to the galvanized iron fence of the construction site apparently thinking that it could withstand the impact of the speeding vehicle.

But the fence gave way and the passenger jeepney with license plates PYC 197 fell into the 70-foot hole.

Destura was pinned behind the wheel. All those who died were sitting directly behind him.

Fernando and Mayor Benjamin "Benhur" Abalos Jr. rushed to the area to supervise rescue operations.

While the police are in a quandary on whom to charge for the accident, all the blame are pointed to the City Engineer’s Office for issuing a permit to the management of the Globe Asiatic Tower without allegedly conducting routine inspection on the construction site located along Boni Ave.

Velasquez, however, said the police cannot file a case against the building owner or city officials because the incident was an accident.

When told that the City Engineer’s Office was blamed for its lapses on the incident, Velasquez chose to remain silent. — With Reuters