By Merlina Hernando-Malipot
Five high school students of Basay National High School were killed while four other schoolmates and a coach were injured when the van they were riding on collided with a cargo truck in Barangay Mayabon, Zamboangita, Negros Oriental Friday morning.
Five high school students of Basay National High School were killed while four other schoolmates and a coach were injured when a public utililtity van collided with a truck tranporting sugar cane in Barangay Mayabon, Zamboangita, Negros Oriental Friday morning, March 1, 2019. (PHOTO COURTESY OF MICHAEL GAMALA / FACEBOOK / MANILA BULLETIN)
In a statement, DepEd said it is “deeply saddened” by the news of the vehicular accident.
“The victims were aboard a public utility van on their way home to Bayawan following a competition in Cebu when the van collided with an oncoming truck transporting sugar cane,” the department said.
The victims were reported members of the Mathsayaw team.
DepEd said that the “tragic incident claimed the lives of one Grade 7 learner and four Grade 11 learners” while “five other Grade 11 learners and their coach are currently in the hospital.” DepEd – through its Region VII Office and Schools Division Office of Bayawan – is “providing the victims and their families with the necessary assistance.”
Personnel of the concerned field offices are “currently at the hospital to closely monitor the condition of those injured and check any further assistance that can be extended.”
DepEd extended its “sincerest condolences to the bereaved families” and expressed its “wholehearted commitment to ensuring that they and the survivors receive adequate support as they go through this difficult time.”