26 killed in RP bus crash

26 killed in RP bus crash

PHILIPPINES: A bus negotiating a steep downhill road in the northern Philippines lost its brakes and crashed into roadside boulders on Wednesday, killing 26 people, including the driver, police said.

Eighteen others were injured.

The bus with 44 people on board was traveling along the Marcos Highway from the mountain city of Baguio, about 250 kilometers north of Manila.

TV footage showed bodies lying on the roadside as ambulances rushed to the scene to attend to the injured. The bus was almost completely destroyed.

Most of the fatalities suffered massive head fractures, said Baguio forensic officer Dr. John Tinoyan.

The regional police traffic director, Eduardo Guanzon, said the cause of the accident was not determined, but noted that the area is notorious for mishaps.

Police chief Domingo Pulig of Tuba municipality, near Baguio, said the vehicle rolled over as it was negotiating a steep downhill section of the highway, then slammed into roadside boulders.

Road accidents are common in the Philippines because of a lack of road signs, dangerously dilapidated vehicles and reckless drivers. --AP