MANILA: Two foreigners were among 15 people killed when a tourist bus fell into a 500-metre ravine in the mountainous northern Philippines yesterday, authorities said.
The bus plunged about 120 metres while travelling on a narrow road heading to an area famous for its “hanging coffins”, said a report from the civil defence office.
A Canadian man and a Dutch woman were among the 15 passengers killed, it added. Police said 32 on board were injured, including a Dutch woman and the driver.
The deputy provincial police commander, Ramir Saculles, said disfigured corpses were strewn along the hillside, while some others fell into rice paddies at the bottom of the hill.
A local police spokesman, Davy Vicente Limmong, said the authorities suspect either the driver made a mistake or the bus suffered a mechanical failure, since no other vehicles were involved and the weather was clear.
The bus was heading to Bontoc, a jumping-off point for the rustic town of Sagada which is popular for its hanging coffins embedded on the sides of cliffs, as well as for its scenic atmosphere.
Tado Jimenez, best known for co-hosting various noontime shows on ABS-CBN in early 2000s, was among the dead. The accident occurred around 7.20am in Bontoc, Mountain Province. On Thursday, Tado posted on Instagram that he has a long journey to Bontoc. Agencies
