ANGELES CITY- Four persons were killed while 48 others were injured when a tourist bus smashed into the tailend of a truck trailer along the northbound lane of the Subic Clark Tarlac Expressway (SCTEx) in Barangay Santiago, in Concepcion, Tarlac at about 5:10 a.m. yesterday, the North Luzon Expressway-SCTEx traffic management and safety office said.
The office of Concepcion Mayor Andy Lacson said four were killed on site. The 48 other passengers of the tourist bus were barangay officials of Naic, Cavite who were on their way to Baguio City.
The office identified the bus driver as Antonio Bulante, 43, of Camarin, Ilocos Norte, and the Kia truck driver as Michael Sangcajo, 37, of Abay, Bacoor, Cavite. The names of the fatalities were not immediately available.
Investigators and rescuers were still at the scene of the accident as of noon yesterday as they moved some of the victims to various hospitals in Concepcion, and in the cities of Mabalacat and Angeles in Pampanga.
But initial report received by the SCTEx- NLEx official said the tourist bus driver seemed to have been at fault, as he might have either fallen asleep or miscalculated his speed when his bus hit the truck.
The accident blocked one lane of the SCTEx and created traffic as long as half a kilometer, the report said.
Police are considering filing charges against the bus driver, the report said.
