8 killed, 42 hurt as buses collide in Lucena City

Eight people, including a child, were killed while 42 others were injured after two passenger buses collided head-on in Quezon province Sunday midnight. PO3 Aldin Rañola of the Lucena City Police Office said the incident involved a Lucena Lines bus and another one from Bragais Lines at Km 129 of the diversion road in Domoit village in Lucena City. “Sa initial investigation, lumalabas na Lucena Lines ang medyo lumihis sa kanyang linya patungo sa tulay na makipot. Kaya ito ang tinitingnan namin na angulo (From our initial investigation, the Lucena Lines bus crossed to the opposite lane as it was heading for a narrow bridge)," Rañola said in an interview on dzBB radio. A separate report on dzRH radio said the drivers of the two buses had turned themselves in to authorities and are now undergoing questioning. Rañola said that of the eight fatalities, one was from the Lucena Lines bus, initially identified as Marife Pada. Also, he identified one of the seven fatalities from the Bragais bus as Romeo Buban. He said another fatality from the Bragais bus was a child, who he did not immediately name. A total of 42 other passengers were injured and were rushed to the Quezon Medical Center in Lucena City. Initial investigation showed the Lucena Lines (with body number 8348, license plate DWB-975) was heading to Lucena from Manila, while the Bragais Line (901, EVM-934) was heading to Manila from Albay. Rañola said the highway was a busy thoroughfare at the time of the accident. On the other hand, he discounted the possibility that the drivers could have missed each other because the road was straight. He also said their initial investigation did not indicate any of the buses overtaking another vehicle before the incident. Rañola said the two bus firms already sent representatives to the hospital to discuss how they will shoulder the cost of hospitalization for the injured passengers. “Yan ang wino-work out ngayon para malaman ng pamilya ng nasawi (We are also working out how to inform the families of the fatalities about the accident)," he said. - GMANews.TV