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| (Photo tweeted by @woweeposadas and retweeted by the MMDA) |
by InterAksyon.com - UPDATE 7 2:00 p.m.)- The driver of the southbound passenger bus that fell off the South Luzon Expressway in Sucat early Tuesday, died shortly after noon.
Joven Justo was driving Dimple Star bus number 7511 on the way to Muntinlupa of the Skyway when it fell to the West Service Road below just before reaching the Sucat exit.
He was rushed to the Medical Center in Paranaque City, where he died at around 12:30 p.m. Reports said Busto's skull was crushed after hitting the windshield of the bus.
The bus conductor, Jonathan Alebar, told reporters that they were cruising at 60 kilometers per hour on the Skyway when a strong wind swept through them followed by massive rains. This caused the driver to lose sight of the road before the bus careened to the Skyway's railings. Alebar was injured after he fell off the bus window.
Two other victims, passengers Anthony Ibarra and Lorenzo Gabo, were also rushed to the Medical Center in Paranaque and are being treated for thier injuries.
The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), which released updates through its Twitter account, said the bus fell at UPS 4 Marcelo Green West Service road in Paranaque City.
Fortunately, said authorities, the bus did not fall on any other vehicle or person as it fell from a height estimated at five storeys.
As of 12:50 p.m., the MMDA said the wreckage has been cleared and traffic is expected to resume to normal.
The police said they are not ruling out the angle that Justo was racing with another bus when the accident happened. Eyewitnesses claimed that the bus was overspeeding on the Skyway. The police said they will file a case against the Dimples Star bus company for the accident.
The northbound side of the Skyway had been in gridlock early Tuesday morning, as vehicles avoiding flashfloods from steady rains since dawn crammed the elevated highway. At the other end of the Skyway however, floods near the Buendia area prevented them from exiting. Joseph Holandes Ubalde with reports from Edison Reyes, News 5
