Tsunami-like wall of water from burst tank swept Bulacan barangay —resident

A resident said that their barangay was hit by a tsunami-like wall of water when a huge reservoir in San Jose del Monte (SJDM) Bulacan collapsed  in the wee hours of Friday.

"Para siyang tsunami kasi ang nangyari is lahat ng belongings namin, lahat ng mga gamit namin, talagang na-wash out siya," a resident of Barangay Muzon, SJDM City said in an interview by Maki Pulido for "News to Go".

"Dati pa, sinasabi na namin na this is a tragedy waiting to happen kasi naisip namin na this is residential area, bakit may ganito, kasi anytime alam naman natin na nangyayari to in other parts ng mundo or somewhere na pwedeng magkaroon ng accident diyan," the resident added.

The water that burst out of the water tank could fill up one Olympic-sized swimming pool, as per estimate by the Bureau of Fire Protection in Bulacan.

According to the report, the sound of an explosion shocked the sleeping residents of Barangay Muzon in San Jose Del Monte City at about 3:30 in the morning.

A few seconds later, the street was swept by a "tsunami-like" wall of water that left a thick pile of mud in its wake.

Daylight brought the damage into sharper focus: the remains of a completely flattened water tank, mud, at least 10 houses smashed beyond repair by fallen water tank walls

Worse, three people, among them a one-year-old boy, died after being trapped in debris, and 40 more were injured.

Reports say that local government authorities are still investigating the cause of the explosion.

They are questioning the structural integrity of the seven-year-old metal water tank, but cannot currently pinpoint what led to the incident.

It appears another structure was added to the existing water tank to increase its capacity, local authorities said.

"Nang gawin namin yung foundation ito at saka yung structures, good for 2,000 cubic meters, dahil noong about 5 years ago, maliit pa yung consumption dito, eh maliit yung kino-construct namin kalahati lang," said engineer Loreto Limcolioc, general manager of the local water district.

"Nung lumaki na yung population, saka namin isinudlong. Pero naka-design siya for 2,000 cubic meters of water," he added.

SJDM Mayor Arthur Robes said he finds the water tank's structure design suspicious.

"Dun lang ako medyo nagdududa, bakit nagkaroon ng pagdudugtong ng walang...design na...but siguro we'll dig deeper on that. Baka hindi niya kaya, based on the design sa ilalim," he said. 

The latest report said all residents are accounted for. —Nicole-Anne C. Lagrimas/LBG, GMA News