32 Killed in Nueva Ecija Bus Crash

An overloaded bus fell into a 100-foot ravine in Carrangalan, Nueva Ecija killing at least 32 people on Tuesday, April 18. The Leomarick bus was traveling from Isabela province to Ilocos Sur province.

It was reported by the Inquirer that the driver had failed to stop the bus due to malfunctioning brakes. But according to Senior Insp. Robert de Guzman, Carranglan police chief investigators later found out that the bus had a burst on one of its front tires. The burst tire could’ve caused the vehicle to fall into the ravine.

One of the survivors, 31-year-old Ian Fernandez said that the engines stopped when the bus drove down Cagayan Valley-Nueva Ecija Highway. According to Fernandez, the bus was trying to overtake another bus when its engine stopped, when the driver was trying to restart the engine he lost control of the vehicle.

Fernandez was traveling with his wife and daughter jumped out of the bus as it fell off the road. His wife and daughter were injured in the accident and were taken to a hospital in Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya.

Nueva Ecija Bus crash incident Death Toll Count

The Red Cross chapter of Nueva Vizcaya listed 29 fatalities but the police had 32. Various reports have different death toll information. However, Philippine Star, Rappler, and CNN Philippines have all reported the number of fatalities between 25 and 30.

Nearly all of passengers dead, including the driver, and other injured passengers were taken to hospitals in Sta. Fe, Aritao, Bambang and Bayombong towns in Nueva Vizcaya.

Senior Insp. Ariel Gabuya of the Sta. Fe police office in Nueva Vizcaya reported 11 passengers were found dead on the spot. While 14 others died at the Nueva Vizcaya provincial hospital in Bambang, six in a hospital and health center in Aritao, and one at San Jose City hospital in Nueva Ecija.

Many of the survivors were taken to separate hospitals for treatment of various injuries. Most of the passengers suffered broken wrists and were struggling to crawl out of the bus.

Different sectors are helping out in the ongoing search and rescue operations in the area.

Palace Statement

Presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella said that Malacanang extends its condolences to the families of the victims.  “We guarantee that the culprits behind the fatal bus mishap will be held accountable,” Abella added.

Poorly maintained passenger buses, inadequate, road safety features and weak enforcement of local transport laws have been blamed for many vehicular accidents. The bus was designed to carry 45 people but reports say that there were as many as 70 passengers.

The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board has already issued a suspension order against Leomarick Trans due to the incident.