7 dead, 30 hurt as tour bus rams truck in Benguet

MANILA, Philippines - Seven people were killed and 34 others were injured in a collision between a truck and a tourist bus carrying graduating tourism students along Marcos Highway in Tuba, Benguet on Thursday night.

Inspector Virgilio Hidalgo, Baguio City police spokesperson, said that the tourist bus lost its brakes while negotiating a steep downhill part of the highway when it crashed head on with the delivery truck at past 10 p.m.

Jenny Quintero, a fourth year tourism student of MSC who survived the crash, helped authorities identify the fatalities whose remains were brought to a local morgue.

The fatalities include Marvin Platino, a student declared dead on arrival at the Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center; another student named Dianne Lauro; the tourist bus driver, Leopoldo Nana; a tour guide named Ben, a certain Princess Pastor Tidi; and another student identified only as Marie.

Hidalgo said that the bus was carrying graduating tourism students from the Marinduque State College. He said the students came from an educational tour in Baguio City.