70-yr-old man dies in Zambo highway crash

ZAMBOANGA CITY - A 70-year-old man died after the motorcycle he was riding collided with a passenger van along the highway in this city on Monday morning, police said.

City police chief Senior Superintendent Angelito Casimiro identified the lone fatality as Said Amiruddin, 70, back rider of a motorcycle involved in the highway accident.

At least 17 other individuals were injured in the accident.

Police investigators said the passenger van (JVK 742) driven by Luis Romualdo, 43, was speeding along the Ma. Clara Lobregat National Highway when it accidentally bumped the rear of the motorcycle driven by Paelson Jadjurie. The incident happened at around 11:25 a.m. in Barangay Boalan.

Police investigations further disclosed that the motorcycle was on the slow lane of the highway when it swerved to the inner lane as it was preparing to take a U-turn. It, however, was hit by the van.

The impact of the collision sent the motorcycle flying a few meters away from the crash site, killing the back rider while the van smashed into the concrete center barrier.

The drivers of the motorcycle and the van and 15 van passengers were brought to different hospitals.