A truck carrying members of a religious sect, who were allegedly on their way to Cotabato City to revitalize the strength of their amulets, crashed at the side of the road in Bukidnon on Tuesday, killing two septuagenarians and inflicting injuries to 33 others.
Col. Roel Lami-ing, provincial director of Bukidnon, said the two fatalities died in the hospital while most of the injured were already discharged from the hospital.
He identified those who died as Manuel Alfoque Jr., 74; and, Bonifacia Abot, 76. Both are residents of Talakag town in Bukidnon.
Lami-ing said some of the victims are minors, the youngest is four, and were among those thrown away from the vehicle when it crashed in Barangay Tikalaan at around 9 a.m.
Quoting initial result of the investigation, he said the truck was travelling along the national highway from Barangay Cacaon to Cotabato City when the driver lost control of the steering wheel.
The truck then crashed at the side of the road, the impact caused most of the passengers to be thrown away.
Capt. Dominador Orate, chief of police of Talakag town, said the victims were all members of a religious group and were about to attend a fellowship in their church in Cotabato City.
“Allegedly, we were told that they were supposed to attend a fellowship that would revitalize the strength of their amulets,” said Orate.
Orate said that they are now hunting down the driver of the truck who fled after the incident. He added that the truck driver has no driver’s license.
The official said the driver may have lost control due to slippery road or the vehicle was travelling fast and failed to effectively maneuver on a sharp curve.
Since Monday, more than 15 people were killed in various road accidents across the country, the most tragic was in Cardona, Rizal where nine people died. (Aaron Recuenco)
