Driver dies as vehicle plunges 70 meters into river in Mountain Province

BAUKO, Mountain Province — A man died after the vehicle he was driving plunged about 70 meters from the national road into a river in Barangay Otucan Norte, Bauko, on Thursday morning, October 15.

The Bauko Municipal Police Station (MPS) said it received a report from the Sabangan MPS at around 7:30 a.m. regarding the accident.

In an interview with Bombo Radyo, Police Capt. Carlito Salimbuat Ateneo, acting chief of Bauko MPS, said initial investigation showed that the vehicle fell about 70 meters from the road before landing in the river.

Authorities have yet to identify the driver and determine what caused the vehicle to plunge off the road.

Police personnel from Bauko and Sabangan, members of the Bureau of Fire Protection, and local volunteers worked together to retrieve the victim’s body.

A medical report indicated that the victim died of asphyxia secondary to drowning.

The victim’s remains were brought to his family in Sagada, Mountain Province, for his wake.

The incident adds to a series of fatal road crashes involving vehicles plunging into ravines in the Cordillera in recent weeks.

On September 15, a vehicle carrying passengers from Isabela to Bakun, Benguet, plunged into a ravine along the Talubin–Barlig Road in Bontoc, Mountain Province, killing six people, including a five-month-old infant, and injuring 17 others.

On September 23, a van fell into a ravine in Barangay Abiang, Atok, Benguet, killing the driver and injuring three passengers. Initial police findings said the van struck a steel barrier before plunging about 10 meters into the ravine.

Authorities continue to remind motorists to drive defensively, remain alert and check their vehicles before traveling, especially along the Cordillera’s mountainous roads.