1 dead, 95 rescued as two buses collide in Tuba, Benguet

A collision between two Victory Liner buses along Marcos Highway in Tuba, Benguet, on Saturday night left one person dead and dozens injured, authorities said Sunday, May 31.

Based on a report by Jamie Santos on “24 Oras Weekend,” the crash occurred around 8 p.m., prompting a large emergency response. Authorities said 95 individuals were rescued and brought to various hospitals.

“Nadatnan namin ‘yung dalawang bus. ‘Yung isa nasa itaas banda, ‘yun ‘yung unang nabunggo. Tapos yung bumunggo, andoon sa baba, natumba. Nag-flip ‘yun… may isang patient na naipit sa bus pero luckily na-extricate naman,” said Wilhelm Abance of the Tuba Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO).

(When we arrived at the scene, we found the two buses. One was further up the road—that was the vehicle that got hit first. The bus that struck it was down below, overturned. It had flipped over… One passenger was pinned inside the bus, but luckily was extricated.)

Based on initial investigation, an ordinary bus carrying 87 passengers reportedly lost its brakes while descending a curve from Baguio and collided with an air-conditioned bus heading uphill with 39 passengers.

Authorities added that the same bus also hit an SUV before crashing into a roadside wall and overturning.

“‘Yung claim ng isang bus is nawalan siya ng preno, which is kino-confirm naman natin dito sa ginagawa nating imbestigasyon,” said Tuba Municipal Police Station Chief Police Major Orville Wap.

“Ang capacity ng bus natin is 68, which sa initial investigation natin is 87 ang sakay nila,” he added.

(One bus driver claims that it lost its brakes, which we are verifying in our investigation… The capacity of the bus is 68, but initial findings show there were 87 passengers onboard.)

Authorities said the crash site is a known accident-prone area.

“Long sharp curve kasi, ‘yun nga diretsong pababa, baka ‘yung preno natin uminit kaya bumigay,” Abance said.

(Because it is a long, sharp downward curve, the brakes may have overheated and failed.)

In a statement, Victory Liner expressed condolences to the victims and their families, saying it is conducting an internal investigation while coordinating with authorities.—Lyjah Tiffany Bonzo/MCG, GMA News