Two elderly men were killed while three others were injured after the minivan they were riding crashed into a dump truck on the national highway in Barangay Pigcalagan, Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao del Norte on Thursday, May 22, 2025.

According to the Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (PRO-BAR), the fatalities, 78 and 72 years old, were passengers of the van and were declared dead on arrival at the hospital due to severe injuries.

The 44-year-old van driver and two other passengers are recuperating in the hospital, as of this writing.

Authorities said the victims were residents of Barangay Sarmento Landasan in Parang, Maguindanao del Norte.

The 41-year-old truck driver, on the other hand, was unharmed.

Based on investigation, the two vehicles were traveling in opposite directions when the van driver allegedly dozed off and the vehicle encroached into the truck’s lane, which resulted in the head-on collision.

“Going Cotabato itong minivan. Sa opposite direction naman yung dump truck, so nagkaroon sila ng head-on collision at base sa initial finding ng ating investigators, nakatulog umano yung dirver (ng minivan) kaya nangyari po yun,” PRO-BAR Spokesperson, Lt. Col. Jopy Ventura, said.

As of this writing, police are waiting for the parties involved to meet for a possible amicable settlement.

Authorities reminded motorists to ensure they are physically fit before driving, in addition to checking their vehicles’ condition.

“I-assess natin sarili natin kung nasa kondisyon po ba tayo kasi kailangan focused tayo sa pagda-drive,” Ventura added.