At least 24 dead after bus plunges into Philippines ravine

At least 24 people have died after a bus plunged into a deep ravine in the Philippines, Sky News reported.

Rescuers used ropes to reach the wreckage in Carranglan, a town in Nueva Ecija province.

Authorities said 22 people had been injured, some of them seriously - and it is believed the brakes of the bus had malfunctioned.

The head of a local hospital, Dr Arlene Jara, said children were among those hurt.

The vehicle crashed shortly before midday as it travelled to Ilocos Sur - a rice and tobacco growing region in the mountainous north of the country, according to Carranglan police chief Robert de Guzman.

Police and local officials said it had dropped about 80ft (24m).

Although the bus had a capacity of 45, there were 60 passengers on board, Carranglan mayor Mary Abad told ABS-CBN television.

"The road is really risky," she said. "There are many ravines."

Mr de Guzman said the vehicle is "totally wrecked" - and told reporters that almost all of the passengers were found outside the bus.

The top of the vehicle appeared to have been ripped off, he added.

Officials said it was one of the worst accidents involving a vehicle in the country in years.

Other accidents have been blamed on poorly maintained buses, inadequate road safety measures and local transport laws being weakly enforced.

A bus carrying college students on a camping trip had brake problems on a steep downhill road in February.

Fifteen people died after it smashed into a concrete electrical post in Tanay town in Rizal province, east of Manila.</s>BUS CRASH. Authorities check the site of a bus crash in Carranglan, Nueva Ecija, on April 18, 2017. Photo courtesy of Ardz Tayambong

CAGAYAN, Philippines (4th UPDATE) – At least 26 people were killed and around 20 injured in a bus crash in Nueva Ecija on Tuesday morning, April 18.

Senior Inspector Robert de Guzman, Carranglan town police chief, said in a phone interview that 24 people died on the spot after a Leomarick Trans bus fell into a ravine in Capintalan village in Carranglan, Nueva Ecija, around 11 am Tuesday.

De Guzman said in a follow-up interview that two more died later on.

The police chief said the injured passengers, initially placed at 22, were brought to hospitals in Bayombong, Aritao, and Bambang towns in Nueva Vizcaya; and San Jose City and Cabanatuan City in Nueva Ecija.

The bus was traveling from Isabela province to Candon City in Ilocos Sur when its brakes failed on a winding road.

"When we responded, we just found the bodies lying in the accident area, lifeless," the town police chief told Rappler in Filipino.

He added that the bus was a "total wreck" after falling into the 80-foot-deep ravine.

Based on the initial investigation, De Guzman said the bus driver was speeding and even overtook vehicles before the crash.

He said the police have yet to release information on the identities of the victims as authorities could not yet retrieve the victims' personal belongings.

Carranglan Mayor Mary Abad told ABS-CBN there were 60 passengers onboard although the bus had a capacity of only 45.

"The road is really risky. There are many ravines along that road going to Abra," Abad added, referring to the northern province where the bus was headed.

Dr Arlene Jara, chief of the nearby provincial hospital treating the wounded, said children were among those injured.

Malacañang conveyed its condolences to the families of the victims and promised to hold accountable those responsible for the tragedy.

"We guarantee that the culprits behind the fatal bus mishap will be held accountable," Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella said in a statement.

Road accidents are common in the Philippines, where old, badly maintained buses ply poorly lit roads. Poor road habits and drivers working long hours also contribute to frequent mishaps. (READ: IN NUMBERS: Road crashes in the Philippines)

READ:

Corruption at LTO, LTFRB: Unfit drivers, vehicles on the road

Corruption at LTO, LTFRB: Fixers and bribes

– with reports from Agence France-Presse / Rappler.com</s>TWENTY-FIVE people died when the bus they were riding fell into a ravine in Barangay Capintalan, Caranglan, Nueva Ecija around 11 a.m. Tuesday.

Caranglan chief of police Robert de Guzman said that the Leomarick bus with plate number AVZ 757 was traveling from Isabela province to Candon town in Ilocos Sur province when the accident happened.

Witnesses told the police that they saw the bus speeding downhill before it plunged into the 100-meter ravine. Witnesses also said that the bus conductor was able to jump out of the bus before it fell but rescuers have yet to recover his body.

De Guzman said the bus shattered into pieces. Injured victims were brought to the Bambang Hospital in Nueva Vizcaya. Search and rescue operations are still ongoing. CIELO CANCEL</s>MANILA (Updated) -- A passenger bus plunged into a 100-foot deep ravine in Carranglan, Nueva Ecija, late Tuesday morning, killing 26 people, police said.

Senior Inspector Robert De Guzman, Carranglan police officer-in-charge, said the vehicle was a Leo Maric bus bound for Candon City in Ilocos Sur and was carrying more than 40 passengers.

Michael Calma, chief of Nueva Ecija Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, said 26 people were killed and 21 were injured.

The incident took place in Barangay Capintalan around 11 a.m., he said.

Witnesses told police the bus was moving fast when the incident happened.

He said that at least 40 persons were brought to Bambang Nueva Ecija hospital for treatment.

Dr. Napoleon Obaña, chief of medical professionals of Veterans Regional Hospital in Bayombong, Nueva Ecija, told radio dzMM that at least five people were brought to the hospital but only four of them survived. All four survivors were children, he said.

Dr. Arlene Jara, chief of Vizcaya Provincial Hospital, said 13 passengers were declared dead on arrival in their hospital, while 16 were injured.

Lawyer Aileen Lizada, spokesperson of Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board, said they are looking into suspending the two units registered under Leo Maric following the incident.

She said the ill-fated bus has a valid permit to operate.

The Cagayan Provincial Information Office shared in a Facebook post photos of the incident.

Facebook user Michael Angobung, municipal registrar of Tomauini town, Isabela province, posted a video of the rescue operations conducted by the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the Philippine National Police, and municipal disaster risk team.

Malacañang has expressed its sympathies and condolences to the families of the bus passengers who perished in the accident.

In a statement, Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella promised that those responsible for the accident will be held accountable.

"We express our deep condolences to the families of the victims who died in the tragic bus accident in Carranglan, Nueva Ecija," Abella said.

"Rescue operations and investigation are currently underway. We guarantee that the culprits behind the fatal bus mishap will be held accountable," he added. (SunStar Philippines)

Like and follow SunStar Philippines on Facebook.</s>(3rd UPDATE) 46 people are still being treated in different hospitals in Nueva Ecija and Nueva Vizcaya, with 4 of them in critical condition

ISABELA, Philippines (3rd UPDATE) – The number of deaths in the bus crash in Nueva Ecija has risen to 31, a police official said on Wednesday, April 19.

Senior Superintendent Antonio Yarra, Nueva Ecija police director, told Rappler that as of 7 am on Wednesday, 31 passengers were already confirmed dead while 46 others were still being treated in different hospitals in Nueva Ecija and Nueva Vizcaya. (READ: Help identify child survivor of Nueva Ecija bus crash – hospital)

Four were said to remain in critical condition.

Yarra said one of the fatalities was the bus driver, Rolando Mangawang.

A total of 24 passengers were killed on the spot after the bus fell into an 80-foot ravine in Capintalan village in Carranglan, late Tuesday morning, April 18.

Yarra said the bus was overloaded when the incident happened. It had a total of 77 passengers but only had a capacity of 45 people.

He said the provincial police was coordinating with the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) for the filing of charges against the bus company.

The LTFRB issued a 30-day preventive suspension order against Leomarick Trans on Tuesday.

LTFRB board member Aileen Lizada went to the crash site on Wednesday morning to conduct an inspection and to meet with local authorities.

Following the incident, Senator Grace Poe, chairperson of the Senate committee on public services, reiterated her proposal to create a National Transport Safety Board.

"Muling pinaiigting ng pangyayaring ito ang pangangailangan natin sa isang National Transport Safety Board na magsasagawa ng independiyenteng imbestigasyon sa mga aksidente at magbuo ng mga polisiya at programa para maiwasan ang kapahamakan sa daan," Poe said in a statement on Tuesday.

Poe's committee had earlier probed the bus crash in Tanay that killed 15 people, mostly college students who were on a field trip. (READ: Why road crashes are no accidents) – with a report from Agence France-Presse / Rappler.com</s>At least 32 people were killed when their bus plunged into a ravine in Carranglan, Nueva Ecija province, on Tuesday in one of the country’s deadliest road accidents in recent years, police said.

Initial reports said the driver failed to stop the bus because of malfunctioning brakes, but investigators later saw that one of its front tires had burst, which could have caused the vehicle to fall into the 24-meter ravine, according to Senior Insp. Robert de Guzman, Carranglan police chief.

De Guzman said the Leomarick Bus was traveling from Isabela province to Ilocos Sur province when the crash happened around noon.

Ian Fernandez, one of the survivors, said the engine stopped moments after the bus drove down the Cagayan Valley-Nueva Ecija Highway, a few kilometers from Dalton Pass at the boundary of Nueva Ecija and Nueva Vizcaya provinces.

Fernandez, 31, who was traveling with his wife and daughter, said he jumped out of the bus as it fell off the road. His wife and daughter were injured and taken to a hospital in Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya.

Nearly all the dead, including the driver, and injured were taken to health centers and hospitals in Sta. Fe, Aritao, Bambang and Bayombong towns in Nueva Vizcaya.

The Red Cross chapter of Nueva Vizcaya listed 29 fatalities but the police had 32.

Senior Insp. Ariel Gabuya of the Sta. Fe police office in Nueva Vizcaya, whose officers were first to arrive at the scene, said 11 died on the spot. He said 14 others died at the Nueva Vizcaya provincial hospital in Bambang, six in a hospital and a health center in Aritao, and one at San Jose City hospital in Nueva Ecija.

Gabuya said at least 38 others were taken to separate hospitals for treatment of various injuries.

A farmer near the bottom of the ravine heard a deafening sound from the highway and people screaming for help as the bus plunged.

“I saw this giant object hurtling down toward me,” said Pancito Agcrio, 59, who was tending a garden about 20 meters from where the bus landed.

“Most of the passengers suffered broken wrists. Some I saw crawling out of the bus. I learned they died later,” he said. “It was heartbreaking. The crash site was littered with dead people. And the people who were alive were crying. They couldn’t walk.”

Rescuers who descended into the deep ravine struggled with ropes to pluck the passengers from the wreckage, disaster response officer Mark Raymond Cano told The Associated Press.

Many of the survivors who were taken to a hospital had serious injuries, Cano said.

Some motorists who were just passing by stopped to help police, firemen and other rescue workers.

One of them, Ruben Angobung, municipal registrar of Tumauini, Isabela, said he was stunned by the scene and hopped out of his vehicle to help pull the ropes to retrieve the bodies.

The impact of the crash appeared to have ripped the top off the vehicle, De Guzman told the French news agency Agence France-Presse.

“Almost all of the passengers, both dead and injured, were found outside the bus,” he said.

Presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella expressed Malacañang’s “deep condolences” to the families of the victims.

“We guarantee that the culprits behind the fatal bus mishap will be held accountable,” he added.

Fernandez said the bus, which was designed for 45 people, carried as many as 70 passengers, with some sitting on the laps of their companions.

Poorly maintained passenger buses, inadequate road safety features and weak enforcement of local transport laws have been blamed for many vehicular accidents.

In February, a sightseeing bus carrying college students on a camping trip lost its brakes on a steep downhill road and smashed into a concrete electrical post in Tanay, Rizal province, east of Manila, leaving 15 people dead.

In February 2014, a tour bus rolled off a mountain road into a ravine in Bontoc, Mountain Province, killing 14 passengers, including two foreigners. —WITH REPORTS FROM LEILA B. SALAVERRIA, VILLAMOR VISAYA JR., AP AND AFP</s>CARRANGLAN, Nueva Ecija: Twenty six passengers were confirmed dead and scores of others were injured after an Ilocos-bound bus fell into a deep ravine Tuesday in Barangay Capintalan, Carranglan, Nueva Ecija.

The Leomarick bus was negotiating the Cagayan Valley-Nueva Ecija highway when it fell into the 100-meter ravine.

Five persons died and 30 others were injured when a Victory Liner bus fell into the same ravine on July 12, 2016. CELSO M. CAJUCOM</s>At least 26 people died when the brakes on the bus they were travelling in apparently failed and plunged into a deep ravine in the northern Philippines.

The rest of the more than 50 passengers were retrieved by rescuers who struggled with ropes to descend down the 24-metre-deep ravine to reach the wreckage in Nueva Ecija province's Carranglan town, said disaster-response officer Mark Raymond Cano.

Many of the passengers had serious injuries and were taken to hospitals, with parents being separated from their children in the confusion, officials said.

"One child here sat beside her mother. The mother was dead," said Dr Napoleon Obana of the Veterans Regional Hospital, where some of the injured were taken.

TV footage showed a line of rescuers and villagers, some holding on to a rope to climb up on a grassy slope with a victim on a stretcher.

A throng of villagers waited in a clearing above them to help pull the victim to safety.

Mr Cano said a preliminary investigation showed that the bus "lost its brakes and plunged down the ravine".

The spot along the downhill road beside the ravine is accident-prone. Tuesday's accident was the sixth in the area in recent years, a local village official told DZMM radio.

The impact from the plunge ripped the bus, which could no longer be distinguished at the bottom of the ravine, said Nueva Ecija's police chief, Antonio Yarra.

He said investigators could not yet talk to the still-stunned injured survivors to get more details on the accident.

Carranglan police chief Robert de Guzman said the bus from northern Isabela province was on its way to Ilocos Sur, a tobacco- and rice-growing region also in the mountainous northern Philippines, when it crashed shortly before noon in Nueva Ecija, about 124 miles north of Manila.

Poorly maintained passenger buses, inadequate road safety features and weak enforcement of local transport laws have been blamed for many vehicle accidents in the Philippines.

In February, a sightseeing bus carrying college students on a camping trip lost its brakes as it sped down a steep downhill road before smashing into a concrete electrical post in Tanay town in Rizal province east of Manila, killing 15 people.</s>BAMBANG, Nueva Vizcaya: At least 29 people died and scores were injured when a passenger bus plunged into a ravine at the boundary of Nueva Ecija and Nueva Vizcaya on Tuesday.

Witnesses said the LeoMarick bus was travelling from Cagayan Valley to Abra province via Candon City in Ilocos Sur when it fell into the 100-meter ravine in Capintalan, Carranglan, Nueva Ecija. Bystanders claimed that the bus had a passenger capacity of 45 but it was carrying 60 people when it crashed.

Initial reports said that 11 victims were rushed to the Rural Health Unit in Santa Fe town, two to the Indigenous Hospital in Aritao town and 13 to the Nueva Vizcaya Provincial Hospital (NVPH) in Bambang town but they were declared dead on arrival. Another victim died while being treated at the NVPH intensive care unit.

The Philippine National Red Cross and the Nueva Vizcaya Provincial rescue team led by Gov. Carlos Padilla helped retrieved the victims from the crash site.

Padilla said the bus, which was totally wrecked, had picked passengers from Nueva Vizcaya.

Ian Boy Fernandez, 31, who was taken to the Veterans Regional Hospital (VRH) in Nueva Vizcaya, said the bus overtook another passenger bus when suddenly the engine stopped and plunged downhill.

Fernandez said the driver could no longer control the bus when it plummeted into the ravine. He jumped from the bus when he noticed that the driver could no longer restart the engine and the bus was careening downhill.

 Fernandez’s wife and son are being treated at the VRH along with 24 other passengers.

The identities of the victims have yet to be released.

The Land Transportation Franchising Regulatory Board immediately suspended the operations of Leomarick Trans, the bus company involved in the accident.

The LTFRB will inspect and determine the road worthiness of the company’s buses, check the certificates of registration and latest receipts from Land Transportation Office, and find out if the buses were installed with global navigation satellite system and registered with the Bus Management Information System.</s>Volunteers try to rescue an injured passenger after a bus apparently lost its brakes and plunged into a deep ravine killing dozens in Carranglan township, Nueva Ecija province in northern Philippines Tuesday, April 18, 2017.

Start the conversation, or Read more at The Beaumont Enterprise.
At least 24 people are dead after a Leomarick Trans bus falls into a ravine in the Philippines province of Nueva Ecija.