7 dead, 1 hurt in Batangas road crash

BATANGAS CITY — Seven people, including a 10-year-old child, died while one was in critical condition in a road crash in Santo Tomas town in Batangas province Saturday night, police said Sunday.

Senior Inspector Erickson Go, the Santo Tomas deputy police chief, quoting investigations, said Rodolfo Mandac Jr. was driving a 10-wheeler aluminum wing van along President Laurel Highway bound for Tanauan City, when the vehicle rammed into an approaching Toyota Corolla driven by Romeo Abarientos in Barangay (village) San Roque about 9:45 p.m.

Victims Cesar Almario, 16; Paul Aldrin Geroy, 16; Gerald Dellomos, 22;  Deniel Abarete, 16; Romeo Abarientos, 26; and Jerome Abarientos, 10, all residents of Barangay San Miguel, also in Sto. Tomas, died in the collision, he said. Police have not identified another victim who was also killed in the crash.

Wounded and still in critical condition was victim Aljay Torres, 17.

Investigations revealed that the Corolla occupied the opposite lane when it bumped into the wing van.

The van driver Mandac, who was unharmed, is now under the custody of Sto. Tomas police.  –Marrah Erika Rabe, SFM