3 dead, 8 injured after bus falls into ravine in Antique

MANILA, Philippines – Three people, including a mother and her son, were killed and 8 others were hurt after a bus fell into a ravine in Hamtic town in Antique on Friday night, April 5.

Police said a Ceres-Vallacar Transit bus fell into a ravine after swerving off the Iloilo-Antique PC Barracks road in Barangay Igbucagay in Hamtic around 9:50 pm on Friday.

The bus, which departed from Molo in Iloilo City, was on its last trip to San Jose de Buenavista, the capital of Antique.

Hamtic municipal police said the driver, Ramon Abelar,  might have lost control of the brakes while maneuvering the winding upland road.

They identified the fatalities as Evangelyn Chicano, 58; and Vivien Omanio, 48, and her son and Earl Aaron Omanio, 18.

Earl, who was in his  school uniform. had just graduated from the John B. Lacson Foundation Maritime University-Arevalo’s Senior High School program that day.

The 8 other people inside the bus – including the driver and conductor – were reported injured and were immediately rushed to the Angel Salazar Memorial General Hospital in San Jose de Buenavista.

This is the latest in a series of vehicular accidents involving the Ceres Bus Liner in the region. The last accident happened on March 25, when a Ceres bus fell into a ravine in Barangay Igmayaan in Salvador Benedicto town, Negros Occidental, leaving 4 dead, and 8 others injured. – Rappler.com

Rhick Lars Vladimer Albay is a Rappler Mover, an Iloilo-based writer, and a journalist, reporting largely on the local cultural community and art scene of the thriving city.