Truck slams into village fiesta in Cotabato; 16 killed, 18 hurt

COTABATO CITY – Sixteen people were killed while 18 others were injured after a wayward 10-wheel dump truck crashed into vehicles and houses during a village fiesta celebration on Saturday in Makilala town, North Cotabato, southern Philippines. "We cannot yet determine the number of wounded. The truck's tire exploded while negotiating the highway in Malasila," said Makilala police chief Renaldo Donor. He said he could not confirm if the truck driver was among those who died. Makilala Mayor Honofre Respicio said the truck came from Davao City and was on its way to Cotabato City when it lost control and collided with vehicles parked along the national highway in Malasila village at around 3:30 p.m. "Police are still investigating what really happened. Somebody must pay for this," Respicio said. Respicio earlier said a tally of the victims showed 13 dead and 18 hurt, with the bodies brought to funeral parlors and the injured rushed to three nearby hospitals. Reports received by GMANews.TV late Saturday indicated at least 16 persons had died and 18 others had been injured. The dump truck bearing plate number CMY-369 crashed into about 10 vehicles parked along sitio Patulangon, Makilala, North Cotabato, at about 3:30 pm, while hundreds of residents where on the roadside celebrating the town's fiesta. The vehicles damaged by truck included five multicab, a motrocyle and a pedicab. Men of the Cotabato Police provincial office identified as SPO1 Jose Marie Corpuz-Molina and PO3 Ronnie Atud of Kidapawan SWAT were among those killed in the mishap. Senior Superintendent Federico Dulay, North Cotabato police director, said people in Malasila were celebrating their fiesta when the accident happened. "There were many people along the highway because it's the village fiesta. We are still not sure if the truck's tire exploded or if the brakes malfunctioned," Dulay said. The wounded were rushed to the Sto. Niño Hospital in Makilala town, and Kidapawan Medical Hospital and Kidapawan Doctors Hospital in Kidapawan City. Hundreds of commuters bound for Davao and other places in Central Mindanao were stranded due to the accident. Radio station DXND reported that the truck first hit a multi-cab owned by a certain Michael Mapandi, a policeman assigned in Kidapawan City. Several houses along the highway were also destroyed. - GMANews.TV