Skyway Accident in Manila Leaves 21 Dead After Bus Falls 3 Stories Off Highway
A bus full of passengers in the Philippines fell more than three stories after the bus driver lost control and plunged over the side of the elevated highway Monday morning.
The accident occurred after a bus traveling on an elevated highway, known as the Skyline in suburban Manila, fell onto a van passing below. 21 people were killed and 20 were injured, police said.
Footage of the carnage showed several bodies covered in newspapers a short distance from where the crushed bus came to rest. The driver of the van that was hit by the falling bus was killed while the bus driver is in serious condition at a local hospital, police Superintendent Elizabeth Velasquez revealed in a statement.
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It wasn't immediately clear what caused the accident but the highway was wet from rain, said Ivy Vidal, a spokeswoman from Skyway Operations and Maintenance Corp.
Irene Sisperes, a motorist who witnessed the accident, said she was driving at about 80 kilometers per hour (50 mph) when the bus passed her. She guessed the bus had to have been traveling at between 100 (60 mph) and 110 kilometers per hour (68 mph).
"After a few meters, I saw the bus fell and I shouted, 'The bus fell, the bus fell,'" she told DZMM radio, adding there were no other cars nearby.
After the accident fears spread that the bus could have suffered a mechanical problem and the entire fleet of buses, operated by the Don Mariano Bus Company, was ordered off the road to undergo inspection.
The driver of the bus, Carmelo Calascas, will undergo drug and alcohol testing and it was speculated that all the drivers from the Don Mariano Bus Company will be ordered to retrain.
It is still unclear whether human error played a factor in the accident or if it was due to a mechanical issue, but authorities have opened a full investigation into the cause of the crash.
