At least 28 killed in tanker explosion in Zamboanga del Sur

By Ronron
February 2, 2007

At least 28 people were killed while a dozen others were wounded after a tanker exploded before noon of Friday at a national highway in Zamboanga del Sur province, local officials said.

Provincial Social Welfare Officer Conchita San Diego told Manila Shimbun in a phone interview last night that the casualties were a mixture of onlookers of the tanker, the latter’s passengers, and passengers of a commercial bus that was passing by.

San Diego said the tanker first hit the side of the national highway in Barangay Lakupayan, Tigbao town at around 10:30 am after its brakes malfunctioned. After hearing the sound of the impact, local residents rushed to the site and later attempted to free the truck man who was pinned between the truck and the wall of the hill where it smashed.

Twenty minutes later and without successfully retrieving the truck man, the tanker exploded.

Unfortunately, that was the time when an RS Trans passenger bus, carrying about 40 people, passed by and slowed down to check on the ill-fated truck.

Due to the strong impact, the bus was blown away to the edge of the other side of the road and got burned. Its passengers were thrown away as well down to the 50-meter deep ravine, and its engine 50 meters farther away.

During the initial response, 23 dead bodies were retrieved. Three more were found later at 3pm. And then two of the 15 wounded victims brought to various hospitals in Pagadian City expired later in the day.

San Diego said the dead victims were either mangled, or charred, but could still be identified by their clothes. Other body parts would later be retrieved at the site, making officials think that the casualties could actually be more than 30.

San Diego disclosed that the tanker was believed to be loaded with carbon dioxide based on a piece of paper found at the blast site. It was heading to the direction of Sibugay province, and came from the direction of Pagadian City. Only the driver and the truck man were aboard the vehicle at the time of the accident.

Another piece of paper that would later be recovered would show that the truck was owned by RICASA Trading and Allied Services, which holds office in Cavite City, said Sr. Supt. Ramon Ochotorena, provincial police director of Zamboanga del Sur.

The bus, on the other hand, was plying the same direction as it was bound for Olutangga town in Sibugay. It left Pagadian City at 9am.

The explosion left the bus 80 percent wrecked.

San Diego said it was not immediately known what triggered the explosion.

But they surmise it could have been caused by the shaking of the tanker by the local residents who were trying to save the pinned truck man.

Search and retrieval operations was still on going as of 7:30 last night./DMS