A truck transporting liquified petroleum gas tanks exploded in Tigbao, Zamboanga del Sur on Friday, killing at least 20 bus passengers and wounding 10 others, the police report reaching this city said.
The truck lost control and hit the side of the road while negotiating a downhill in Lacupayan, Tigbao town at around 10:45 a.m., causing it to turn turtle and triggering a fire from leaked gas tanks that caused a powerful explosion.
The blast sent a passing by passenger bus to the opposite lane. "The bus was beside the truck when the explosion occured," said Sr. Supt. Ramon Ochotorena, provincial police director.
According to Ochotorena, the casualty count may rise as the explosion happened near a ravine in Tigbao town.
"The bodies of victims may have been flung below ... Some of the fatalities could not be identified because the explosion disfigured their faces," he said.
The recovered bodies were brought to funeral parlors in Pagadian City, while at least 10 persons were rushed to the Zamboanga del Sur Provincial Hospital for treatment. (HG)
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