TUBA, Benguet – Five individuals cheated death after their La Presa-bound vehicle fell in a 90-feet ravine along Km. 9, Sto. Tomas road, Poblacion here around 4 pm Sunday.
Senior Superintendent David Q. Lacdan, officer-in-charge of the Benguet provincial police office, identified the injured van occupants as passengers Carol Santos, Ian Lopez, Lilibeth Sebilla and a certain Jenny while Felicidad Gancayco Lopez, 38, the van driver and a resident of B. Lopez Compound, Quezon City was unhurt in the said vehicular accident.
Initial police investigation showed the van was negotiating an upgraded curve portion of the road en route to the famous La Presa in sitio Pungayan, Poblacion here when it suddenly moved backward forcing the driver to lose control of her vehicle that resulted to its falling on the ravine.
Concerned residents and responding rescuers immediately rushed the injured victims to the Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center (BGHMC) where they were given medical treatment and were released considering that they sustained minor injuries as a result of the said accident.
Lacdan advised motorists, especially visitors, to observe defensive driving and familiarize themselves with the terrain in the region so as not to encounter similar incidents that would result to loss of lives and damage to properties and will spoil their visit to the prime tourist destinations offered by the Cordillera.
By Dexter A. See