By Edwin Fernandez

FATAL CRASH. Emergency responders attend to victims of a van crash in Tupi, South Cotabato on Monday (Dec. 23, 2024). The vehicle lost its brakes and collided with a roadside tree, killing seven passengers and injuring the driver. (Photo courtesy of Tupi MDRRMO)

KORONADAL CITY – Seven passengers were killed and one was injured in a van crash on a barangay road in Tupi, South Cotabato, on Monday afternoon, a disaster official reported.

Emil Sumagaysay, the municipal disaster risk reduction and management officer, said all seven passengers of the Mitsubishi FB van died at the scene, while the driver sustained serious injuries.

The victims, residents of Northern Mindanao, were on vacation in nearby Polomolok and had visited a tourist site in Tupi before the accident.

“The van’s brake system failed, prompting the driver to hit a roadside tree to stop the vehicle while traversing a descending portion of the highway in Barangay Cebuano,” Sumagaysay said. (PNA)