Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — Four passengers were confirmed dead, while 18 got injured in a bus accident on Quirino Highway on Wednesday morning (August 12).
The Bulacan-bound bus crashed at the boundary marker of Quezon City and Caloocan at Barangay Lagro, Quezon City around 7:20 a.m.
The accident caused severe damage to the right side of a Valisno passenger bus, with plate number TXV 715, according to the Quezon City Department of Public Order and Safety (QC DPOS).
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The QC DPOS explained that two passengers, a male and a female, who were retrieved from under the bus, died on the spot. The two other casualties were declared dead at the Dr. Jose N. Rodriguez Memorial Hospital in Tala, Caloocan, Dr. Amalia Villar, a resident doctor of the hospital, said.
The man was already identified, but the woman, police said, was difficult to identify due to the serious damage on her face. But she is speculated to be between 30 to 40 years old, Insp. Marlon Meman, commander of the Quezon City Police District Traffic Sector 2, told CNN Philippines.
Police said 18 passengers got injured from the accident, but it believes that the number of injured brought to different hospitals could reach up to 30.
Bus driver at large
A photo of the accident posted on social media showed the right side of the bus almost peeled off, which the public safety department said led to some passengers getting thrown out of the vehicle.
Meman said accounts from passengers stated that the bus was running too fast until it went out of control and crashed into the concrete boundary marker.
He added that the driver is now at large, while the injured conductor was taken to the hospital.
LTFRB orders suspension
The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) ordered a 30-day preventive suspension against the entire fleet of Valisno a few hours after the accident happened.
In a Twitter post, the LTFRB said that the plates of Valisno’s 62 buses will be confiscated by inspectors. Drivers of the bus company were directed by the LTFRB to take a road safety seminar, drug test, and to secure police and NBI clearances.
The buses were also ordered to undergo roadworthiness inspection by the Land Transportation Office (LTO).
CNN Philippines’ Yumi Lugod contributed to this report.
