INFANTA, Quezon- Two Dumagat tribesmen died while eight others were injured, including two foreign pastors and three children, after their owner-type jeepney fell off a deep cliff on Sunday, Nov. 19, in Barangay Magsaysay, this town.
Photo shows the jeepney that fell off a cliff in Infanta, Quezon. (Photo by Infanta PNP via Danny Estacio)
According to the police report, the fatalities were identified as Adelina America Peñamante and Adrian Mercado. They died on the spot.
Injured were Loren Paul Mille, 45, American pastor of Norzagaray, Bulacan; Nelvin Paul Maldaner, 48, Canadian pastor, both of Christian Mennonite; Analiza Adornado; Linda Capatasan, 39; Pablo Dela Cruz America, 35, and minors ages 3, 9 and 13, all members of the Dumagat tribe.
The wounded were taken by the responding police and rescue team of the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (MDRRMO) to Claro M. Recto District Hospital.
The report said that the incident happened around 3:30 p.m. at Kilometer 12, of Marilaque (Marikina-Rizal-Quezon) highway in the said place.
Because there was no communication signal in the area, the distress call was received by the responders after four hours. The responders arrived at 8:40 p.m. after a concerned citizen personally reported the accident to the police station.
Investigation showed that the owner-type jeep driven by Mille lost its brake and overshot on the left side of the road causing it to fall into a cliff 30 feet deep.
The victims came from Sitio Kakawayan and were on their way to Barangay San Marcelino for a religious event.
The road they were traversing was reported to be slippery due to the rains.