DAVAO CITY — The driver and his passenger were killed instantly when their truck carrying caustic soda collided on a hill along the national highway in Purok 7, Barangay Lacupayan, Tigbao, Zamboanga del Sur, past midnight on Thursday, February 22.
Major Herminigildo Bajao Jr., spokesperson of the Zamboanga del Sur Police Provincial Office, the two were dead when their personnel arrived.
The victims sustained serious injuries and their faces were almost unrecognizable, while the other one was still trapped inside the wreckage of their truck.
One of the victims was identified earlier Friday as Jaylord Cuevas Singidas, from Purok 10-A, Buru-un, Iligan City, Lanao Del Norte.
The truck has plate number MAR 8012, the vehicle is registered under Vicente Dela Torre in Purok 3, Dao Tambo, Hinaplanon, Iligan City. The truck was running around the side of the mountain in Lacupayan, towards Zamboanga City, when it collided at 12:30 am, said the police.
Residents feared that the ranker truck might explode, but the police assured the residents of barangay Lapucayan that the tanker will not explode but asked them to avoid the area where the accident happened because caustic soda, an ingredient in the production of soap, shampoo, detergent, drain cleaner and battery, can cause severe burns.
