Two girls died on the spot while four other minors, who were allegedly sleeping on the railway, were either amputated or badly wounded after a train ran over them on Saturday in Sta. Cruz, Manila.
It became an early morning tragedy for the six victims when they woke up with legs and heads bloodied, two of them, however, did not make it.
Andrea Regino, 13, a student of Recto High School and a resident of Sampaloc, Manila and one unidentified girl died on the spot at 5:15 a.m. after being crushed by a Philippine National Railways train along the Southbound lane of the railway in Antipolo Street, Sta. Cruz.
Their bodies were brought to the St. Rich Funeral Parlor.
Police identified the four other victims as Anthony De Mesa, 12, a Grade 4 pupil in Mariano Ponce Elementary School whose legs were amputated; Joshua Nepomuceno, a 12-year-old out-of-school youth who lost his left hand apart from sustaining head injuries; Jennyrace Eugenio, 13, and also an out-of-school youth and Sandy Guillen, 13, a Grade 5 pupil in Corazon Elementary School. All were brought to the Jose R. Reyes Memorial Medical Center.
The driver of the train, identified as Joel Bolo and train mechanic Berjerio Suarez ran away after the tragic incident.
A friend of the victims said they went on a drinking spree on the railroad the night before the incident and reportedly fell asleep right in the middle of the railroad.
A thorough investigation is now being done by authorities. (BETHEENA KAE UNITE)
