5 killed in collision of passenger bus, SUV in Majayjay, Laguna

At least five people were killed and several others were injured in a collision of a passenger bus and a sports utility vehicle (SUV) along the Majayjay-Lucban Road in Majayjay, Laguna on Sunday afternoon.

According to the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (MDRRMO) officer Reyjohn Libato, the collision happened on the border between the barangays of Bakia and Ilayang Banga at 3:20 p.m. on Sunday, as reported by Sam Nielsen on GMA Super Radyo DZBB.

The four initially reported casualties, including the conductor and three passengers, were crushed inside the bus. Their bodies have yet to be recovered.

The latest reported casualty was a bus passenger who died while being treated at the Laguna Medical Center in Sta. Cruz.

At least 30 passengers were brought to nearby hospitals including the Majayjay District Hospital, the Laguna Medical Center, and those in Nagcarlan and in Sta. Cruz.

Also brought to the hospital is a child who was the passenger of the SUV, and needed to undergo a CT Scan due to a lump on the head after the accident.

The bus was found to have a signage indicating the Alabang via Coastal Road, Lawton, indicating that the passengers may have commissioned it for a trip to the Kamay ni Hesus  in Lucban, Quezon.

Meanwhile, the SUV was reported to have carried a family who was visiting relatives in Majayjay.

Authorities have already called for a backhoe to haul the bus from the area. Authorities have already separated parts of the vehicle, but are unable to raise the chassis, with the bodies of the casualties located underneath.

The Majayjay-Lucban Road, which was earlier impassable, is ow open to traffic. — Jon Viktor D. Cabuenas/BM, GMA Integrated News