by Ali G. Macabalang
KIDAPAWAN CITY – Eight commuters were killed while 10 others were injured when a passenger jeep they were boarding fell off a cliff along President Roxas town in North Cotabato on Sunday.
The driver reportedly lost control of the ill-fated vehicle when the brake system of the jeep malfunctioned while it was maneuvering through a downhill stretch of the highway along Barangay Greenhills in President Roxas town.
Supt. Bernard Tayong, spokesman of the North Cotabato provincial police, said on Monday eight passengers died instantly.
Tayong said eight other passengers of the vehicle were injured and brought to local hospitals by responding residents and barangay officials.
“Initial investigations indicated that the driver lost control as a result of that mechanical failure that resulted in the accident,” Tayong said.
Quoting witnesses accounts, he said, the jeep first wiggled from left to right before it fell on a 30-foot ravine, rolled over thrice and landed on its side.