2 dead, 14 hurt in South Cotabato highway smash-up of over a dozen vehicles

GENERAL SANTOS CITY, Philippines – A man and his child died while 14 others were hurt in a smash-up of more than a dozen vehicles on a highway in Tupi town, South Cotabato, on Friday night, September 23.

Police identified the fatalities as 28-year-old Diamalodin Makasaehe and his four-year-old son Janaiden.

The father and son were on a motorcycle along with Hasnia Makasaehe, a relative who sustained injuries when the vehicles figured in the highway smash-up.

Investigators said a 10-wheel truck lost its brakes, crashed into a car, and then rammed through a row of vehicles along the highway, near the South East Asian Institute of Technology (SEAIT). 

The incident happened amid a drizzle and as commuters, including SEAIT students, were crowding along the highway, and waiting for a ride home. 

The wayward truck rammed from behind vehicles that slowed down because it was a crowded area.

The accident involved two trucks, three sports utility vehicles, five motorcycles, a public bus, three pick-up trucks, and a tricycle, according to the Tupi Fire Station which sent a team to help victims which included pedestrians.

Rolly Doane Aquino, chief of the South Cotabato Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office, said responders found two people dead on the spot while 14 others were rushed to various hospitals in Koronadal City.

A video circulating on social media showed strewn bodies on the highway. – Rappler.com