TUGUEGARAO (TIP): A bus collided with a pickup truck killing 11 people and injuring six others in a northern Philippine town on July 11. Those who died were riding the small truck as it was rammed on the side by the bus, causing it to lose control and smash into a roadside food stall in Abulug town, about 600 km (373 miles) north of Manila, said police chief Maj Antonio Palattao.
The drivers of both vehicles were injured, along with the owner of the food stall that was hit by the truck. An investigation is underway to determine who was responsible for the accident, he said.
Deadly road accidents are common in the Philippines because of weak enforcement of traffic laws, dilapidated vehicles and dangerous road conditions, including inadequate safety signs and barriers in mountain roads and far-flung provinces.
Heavy rains halt search for 30 people missing in an Indonesian landslide that killed at least 23
PALU (TIP):: Incessant rains July 10 halted the search for 30 people believed trapped under a landslide that engulfed an unauthorized gold mine on Indonesia‘s Sulawesi island over the weekend, killing at least 23 people.
More than 100 villagers were digging for grains of gold on Sunday in the remote and hilly village of Bone Bolango in Gorontalo province when tons of mud plunged down the surrounding hills and buried their makeshift camps. The search was suspended Wednesday afternoon due to heavy rains, said Heriyanto, head of the provincial Search and Rescue Office. Rescuers have not yet been able to locate the missing people, he said. The National Search and Rescue Agency said Wednesday that 92 villagers managed to escape from the landslide. Several of them were pulled out by rescuers, including 18 with injuries. It said 23 bodies were recovered, including that of a 4-year-old boy, while 30 people were missing.
More than 1,000 personnel, including army troops, have now been deployed in the search, said Edy Prakoso, the agency’s operation director.
He said the Indonesian air force would send a helicopter to speed up the rescue operation, which has been hampered by heavy rains, unstable soil and rugged terrain.
Photos released by the agency showed an excavator removing tons of mud and rocks that blocked access to the site. (AP)