21 killed after bus falls from Skyway

Bodies of passengers are covered in newspapers as they are laid down on the road after a passenger bus plunged from an elevated highway known as Skyway Monday, Dec. 16, 2013, in suburban Paranaque southeast of Manila, Philippines. Officials said at least 21 people died, mostly passengers, and more than 20 others were injured in the accident. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)

MANILA, Philippines—The number of bodies recovered from a bus that fell from the Skyway on the South Luzon Expressway (SLEx) in Taguig City rose to 21, Inquirer Radio 990AM reported on Monday.

The report said 20 bodies have been recovered from the Don Mariano Transit bus which was plying the elevated Skyway on its way to Pacita, Laguna, when it fell off the expressway around 5:15 a.m. on Monday. Another body was pulled out of a van that was crushed by the bus after the tragic fall.

Those injured, which number over 20 according to another radio report, were rushed to the nearest hospital.

Police Superintendent Elizabeth Velasquez said the bus veered off the highway and crashed onto a van passing below in suburban Parañaque city at dawn Monday.

Television footage showed a number of bodies strewn around the bus wreckage with police officers milling around. The van was an unrecognizable pile of smashed white metal.

Ivy Vidal, spokeswoman of the corporation running the Skyway, said it was not clear what caused the accident but added that it was wet due to rain.

Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board Chairman Winston Ginez said they would issue a preventive suspension order on all the 78 units of the Don Mariano Transit.

Ginez said they had already talked to Dra. Melissa Lim, owner of Don Mariano Transit, who said they had recalled their buses for inspection by the LTFRB.

Heavy traffic

Meanwhile, heavy traffic in was reported as a result of the accident.

Luis Panganiban of Skyway’s command center said traffic was heavy from C5 to Sucat.—Kristine Angeli Sabillo, Jamie Elona and Bong Lozada; with reports from The Associated Press