On March 25, 2024, in the Southern Philippines, a serious crash involving a sand-filled dump truck and a van claimed the lives of at least 17 individuals. The collision occurred on an essential roadway in Antipas, North Cotabato, Mindanao, and is one of the area’s worst recent traffic disasters.
Captain Godofredo Tupas II, the police chief of Antipas town in Cotabato province, confirmed that three others sustained injuries in the incident, which occurred on a notoriously hazardous stretch of road around noon.
Captain Tupas detailed that the cargo truck, a 10-wheeler descending a slope, experienced a brake failure, causing it to collide with the passenger van.
In a phone conversation with The Associated Press, Tupas reported that the collision and subsequent fire resulted in the death of nearly all passengers aboard the van—17 out of 18—with the driver included among the fatalities. One survivor from the van is currently under medical care for injuries sustained.
Efforts by the army, local law enforcement, and community members were made to retrieve the victims from the wreckage, with several suffering from severe burns. The authorities have since detained the truck driver pending further investigation and potential legal action.
Eyewitness accounts mentioned that the van caught fire following the crash, possibly due to the intense impact, complicating rescue and recovery efforts.
Tupas highlighted that fatal traffic incidents are tragically frequent in the Philippines, often exacerbated by poor adherence to traffic laws, aging vehicle fleets, and treacherous driving conditions, such as the lack of proper safety indicators and barriers on mountainous and remote roads.
Most recently, on February 21, 2024, 15 people lost their lives in the central Philippines when a truck they were traveling in, going to a livestock market on Negros Island, fell into a ravine,
Additionally, in December 2023, at least 16 individuals died, and 12 were injured when a passenger bus failed to navigate a downhill curve in a mountainous village in the central Philippines and careened into a steep ravine.
