Two Filipina US Army members among 3 killed in California accident

NEW YORK - Two Filipina US Army members were among the three individuals who lost their lives after their vehicle plunged into a 400-foot ravine at Devil's Slide on Highway 1 in California on July 26.

The victims have been identified as Brylyn Aroma, 36, Angelica Gacho, 28, and Mohammad Noory, 29, from Afghanistan.

Aroma, a native of Cavite, was a nurse and a highly decorated US Army combat medic specialist. She studied at Emilio Aguinaldo College in Manila and De La Salle University.

Among the awards Aroma received from the US Army are the National Defense Service Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and the Army Service Ribbon.

Gacho, also a Filipina US Army member and a communication and water treatment specialist, had received various awards, including two Army Achievement Medals, the National Defense Service Medal, the Korea Defense Service Medal, and the Army Service Ribbon. She graduated from Taguig City University.

The United States Army expressed its condolences to the families of the victims.

The California Highway Patrol reported that the vehicle fell into the dangerous and rocky part of Devil’s Slide on San Mateo County’s coast.

The car landed on a rocky shoreline and was partially submerged in ocean waves.

Authorities are still conducting an investigation to determine the cause of the accident. —KG, GMA Integrated News