KABAYAN, Benguet – One person died while twelve others were injured after their vehicle suffered mechanical trouble and plunged into a 100-meter deep ravine at sitio Binalyan, Batan here around 10 am on New Year’s Day.
Senior Superintendent Florante Camuyot, officer-in-charge of the Benguet Provincial Police Office, identified the fatality as Ramon Adonis Alveras while the injured van occunats were named as Marife Cotde Tuan; Cornelio Berting Censo, sustained spinal injury – dirver; Hilario Censo Simeon, 43, male and of Km 38, Abiang, Atok, Benguet -skull fracture; Elia Censo Simeon, 65, married and of Km 38, Abiang, Atok, Benguet -skull fracture; Manalo Tolome Botcha, married, of Naguey, Atok, Benguet -fracture left foot and lacerated wound on the forehead; Brando Albeas Opdas, 39, married, of Naguey, Atok, Benguet -rib fracture; Raymundo Gabin Bentican, 63, married, of Pokit, Poblacion, Atok, Benguet, -spinal cord injury; Josephine Espada Aban, 50, married, of Bonglo, Paoay, Atok, Benguet -spinal cord injury; Jerbson Egsan Bolas, 28, single, of Bonglo, Paoay, Atok, Benguet -lacerated wound frontal area; Alexander Censo, 48, of Naguey, Atok, Benguet -lacerated wound face area and rib fracture right; Stephen Manalo, 54, of Naguey, Atok, Benguet -spinal vertebrae fracture and Catalino Inciong, 51, of Naguey, Atok, Benguet, fracture on left leg and abrasion in the abdomen.
Initial police investigation showed the vehicle came from Naguey, Atok and was en route to Batan considering that the occupants were supposed to attend the funeral of their relative who died.
However, upon reaching a narrow descending portion of the road, the driver, Cornelio Berting Censo, was able to sense that the vehicle had no brakes that prompted her to ram the vehicle into the side of the mountain but the vehicle suddenly capsized and turned turtle several times util it plunged into the ravine.
Joint personnel of the Atok Municipal Station and Kabayan Municipal Police Station and rescuers immediately responded to the accident scene and subsequently rushed the victims to the Atok District Hosital and Benguet General Hospital (BeGH) for medical treatment of the injuries they sustained.
The case is still subject to further investigation in order to ascertain the real cause of the vehicular accident.
By Dexter A. See