4 dead, 23 injured as bus falls into ravine in Del Gallego, Cam Sur —police

A bus fell into a ravine in Barangay Magais, Del Gallego, Camarines Sur early Friday morning, killing four people and injuring 23 others, according to the municipal police.

Del Gallego Police acting chief Police Captain Bernie Undecimo said the driver of the bus allegedly fell asleep or had a medical emergency around 2 a.m.

“Ang pasahero is 25, pang-27 po 'yung dalawang driver. Lahat po ng injured, nadala na namin sa hospital pero 'yung dalawang cadaver po still nasa ilalim pa po ng bus…'Yung dalawang driver po nagtamo din ng injury. 'Yung talagang nagda-drive is hindi namin makausap,” he told Dobol B TV in an interview.

(There are 25 passengers, including the two drivers, there are 27. We have taken all the injured to the hospital, but the two cadavers are still under the bus. The two drivers also sustained injuries. We cannot speak to the one who was actually driving.)

“Nagising po ako, bago uminda po yung driver na masakit yung tagiliran. Yung inspector po, ginilid yung bus. Nahulog po kami sa bangin,” said passenger John Paul Cabase in a "24 Oras" story by Raffy Tima.

(I woke up, then the driver said his side was hurting. The inspector drove the bus to the side. We fell down a ravine.)

“Parang inatake yung driver. Tapos ngayon, di na macontrol yung ano… yung inspector kinabig, nasa kaliwang side na siya eh. Tinodo ng kabig sa pakanan kaya dumirediretso na kami sa bangin,” added another passenger Michael Acosta.

(I think the driver had a stroke. Then, he couldn’t control it… The inspector drove to the side, he was on the left. He drove too far right, so we fell down the ravine.)

The bus fell into a ravine around 26 to 30 meters deep.

“Humanap po kami ng paraan para mabasag po yung windshield ng bus. Nakakuha po kami ng fire extinguisher para basagin yung unahan ng bus. Pagakyat po namin, nakahanap po kami ng tindahan. Doon po kami humingi ng tulong. Saktong 1 kilometer na lang po yung police station,” shared Cabase.

(We found a way to destroy the windshield of the bus. We found a fire extinguisher to destroy the front of the bus. When we climbed up, we found a store. That’s where we sought some help. It just so happened that the police station was only 1 kilometer away.)

Rescuers reported that they had to employ calculated strategies to prevent the bus from completely falling down the ravine during the retrieval operation.

They were able to retrieve two bodies back-to-back, and two others were found inside the bus during the complete 10-hour operation.

Rescuers said they found it difficult to retrieve the victim, as it also placed them at risk of falling.

Del Gallego Police confirmed in a call with GMA News Online that they have finished retrieval operations and are now in the process of lifting the bus from the ravine.

According to the police, the bus came from Cubao, Quezon City heading to Gubat, Sorsogon. Before the incident, the bus made a stopover in Camarines Norte where the drivers reportedly switched. 

Representatives of the bus company were already on site, coordinating with authorities and assisting the victims and their families.

Some of the hospitalized victims with minor injuries have been discharged.

Authorities are investigating if the bus had any engine problems before the trip, while the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board asked the bus company to explain the incident.

Meanwhile, the bus company vowed to assist the victims and compensate them for any expenses incurred due to the incident.—AOL, GMA Integrated News