ARGAO, Cebu – At least four people died, including a pregnant woman and her 8-year-old son, while 12 others were injured when the truck they were boarding in lost its brake and fell into a cliff Tuesday afternoon in Argao town.
The Canter truck was loaded with vegetables and 15 people, including four children, on its way to the Carbon Public Market in Cebu City past 1 p.m. Tuesday, when the brakes conked out while traversing barangay Gutlang.
The truck hit a coconut tree before falling on a cliff, pinning some of the passengers. Four people – Jelyn Pescadoro, 29, who was pregnant; her 8-year-old son Jaymar; and nephew Joven Neri Jr. together with 65-year-old Anastacia Geverola died due to severe injuries in the different parts of their heads and bodies.
Twelve others, including the truck driver, Edgar Pescadero, and truckboy Marivic Pescadero, sustained injuries and were rushed to Isidro Kintanar Memorial Hospital in Argao though some were transferred to Cebu City hospital.
The passengers were mostly family members and relatives who wanted to sell their vegetable at the Carbon Public Market, considered as the biggest market in the city.
With the incident, the local traffic authorities in Argao are conducting checks on trucks and buses passing through the town to ensure no overloading will happen.
Cases of overloading among public and even private vehicles are expected specifically during the upcoming All Souls’ Day and All Saints’ Day. (Mars W. Mosqueda, Jr.)