At least 26 people are confirmed dead, while 20 others were injured in a bush crash this morning in Nueva Ecija in the northern Philippines.
Philippine news site Rappler reported that the Leomarick Trans bus fell into a ravine in Carranglan town.
The bus was traveling on a winding road en route to Candon City in Ilocos Sur province. “When we responded, we just found the bodies lying in the accident area, lifeless,” Senior Inspector Robert De Guzman, the town’s police chief told Rappler.
“We express our deep condolences to the families of the victims who died in the tragic bus accident in Carranglan, Nueva Ecija. Rescue operations and investigation are currently underway,” Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella said in a statement to the media.
This is the second major bus accident in as many months after a bus accident in Rizal province killed 14 students and the bus driver. A Philippine Star report said that 40 others were injured in that accident.
According to a report in ABS-CBNNews, investigators found that the bus was 29 years old. This violates the Land Transportation and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) policy — the agency that regulates public transportation vehicles — which states that buses with more than 15 years of service are supposed to be phased out.
In an Inquirer.net report, officials from Malacañang Palace promised a thorough investigation of what caused this latest bus crash and “to hold the culprits behind the road mishap accountable.”
