Acid substance spills on EDSA; motorist hurt

Several cars were damaged while a motorcycle-riding individual was hurt when an acidic substance used by maintenance personnel in drain pipe declogging operations at the Metro Rail Transit railtracks in Pasay City leaked on to EDSA yesterday.

Ronilo Bacolod, MRT operations manager, said that some six cars sustained damage on their paint while a still unidentified motorist on a motorbike sustained chemical burns on his body as a result of the leakage of a chemical substance used in the declogging operations conducted by MRT maintenance contractor, TES Philippines, at around 10 a.m.

According to TES Philippines officer Mon Hicban, the leakage of the chemical was caused by the presence of a small crack at a portion of the concrete wall of the rail line at EDSA-Taft Avenue end station in Pasay. Hicban said that they were able to contain the leakage a few minutes upon discovery of the problem.

Hicban said that TES Philippines was ready to shoulder the expenses for the repair of the affected vehicles and the hospitalization of the motorist. – Rainier Allan Ronda