2 dead, 28 hurt in Zamboanga del Sur bus crash
ZAMBOANGA CITY – Two passengers died and 28 others were injured when their bus crashed into a tree and plunged into a roadside ditch in Dumingag, Zamboanga del Sur on Thursday morning.
Jufil Mabanag, Dumingag municipal information officer, said the accident occurred around 7:20 a.m. in Purok 4, Barangay Mahayahay. The bus was traveling to Pagadian City, Zamboanga del Sur, from Sindangan, Zamboanga del Norte.
“The location of the incident is an accident-prone area. A vehicular accident recently occurred at the same spot,” Mabanag said in a radio interview.
One of the two fatalities was identified as Roy Bermudez, a cadet officer in the Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC). The other fatality was an unidentified male senior citizen.
Police investigation revealed the passenger bus fell into the ditch after its brake malfunctioned while navigating a descending curve road.
Mabanag noted that most of the passengers were students on their way to an ROTC graduation practice. They were taken to various hospitals in Zamboanga del Sur.