Four people died and at least 10 others were hurt when a passenger jeepney hit a tree in the Philippine province of Oriental Mindoro on Sunday, May 10, authorities said.
The crash unfolded on a curved, downhill road in Barangay Fortuna, in the town of Socorro. Officers said the driver lost control when the brakes gave out partway down the slope. Rather than let the vehicle drop into a ravine, the driver steered into a tree, and the jeepney flipped over, police said.
Local reports put the number of people on board at about 20, most of them relatives, and said the group was travelling to the Fortuna River for an outing. The four who died were all from the nearby town of Gloria, according to Vinscent Gahol, the province’s disaster response officer.
Emergency crews carried the injured to hospitals in the area, including Grace Mission Hospital in Barangay Catiningan. Police chief Joel Saguid said an inquiry was under way and that the jeepney was still sitting at the crash site.
Jeepneys, the brightly painted public vehicles that move much of the country, have long drawn concern over upkeep and safety. Sunday’s crash, the latest in a string of accidents involving them, has revived that debate.
Sources
- Tragic Jeepney Crash in Oriental Mindoro Leaves 4 Dead, 14 Injured | PeraPulse
- 4 dead, 10 hurt after jeepney crashes into tree in Philippines-Xinhua
