40 hurt in SLEX bus accident

(Updated 6:42 p.m.) Some 40 people, including a woman whose arm was reportedly cut off, were injured when a passenger bus flipped over along the northbound lane of the South Luzon Expressway on Monday, according to radio and television reports. 

A report on “24 Oras” said witnesses saw the bus with a Batangas-Buendia route losing control before it turned on its side along the SLEX. The bus' two rear wheels reportedly fell off.

According to a report aired on “News To Go,” the bus turned on its side while traversing along the SLEX in the vicinity of Sta. Rosa, Laguna. The accident occurred at around 6 a.m.

Some injured passengers have been taken to Biñan Doctors Hospital while others were rushed to various hospitals in Laguna, SLEX spokesperson Chito Sibol said in an interview on radio dzBB.

Investigators have reportedly found a bottle of liquor, a piece of aluminum foil and two license plates inside the bus. The bus driver and conductor have yet to be found by authorities as of posting time.

The accident has caused a major traffic jam along SLEX, with the buildup of cars stretching four kilometers long, Sibol said.

As of 9 a.m, four lanes of the thoroughfare along Sta. Rosa, Laguna are already passable to vehicles. —Xianne Arcangel/KG/KBK, GMA News