Antique bus crash death toll now 18

The death toll from the Antique bus crash has gone up to 18, Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) head Broderick Train said Thursday.

“Sa masamang palad kanina nadagdagan ng isa. Yung critically wounded… critical ang condition niya at nag-expire kaninang umaga so naging 18 na po 'yung ating reported dead,” said Train in an interview with Super Radyo dzBB.

(Unfortunately, one of the critically wounded… who is in critical condition expired earlier this morning, so our reported dead became 18.)

Aside from the updated death toll, six passengers remain critically wounded, while four are now in a stable condition.

The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) has since reached out to the insurance provider of bus operator Vallacar Transit, Inc. (VTI) regarding the insurance claims for victims.

“[We have coordinated with them] to see to it na 'yung mga namatayan will be properly indemnified, that’s half-a-million per head, and to attend to the medical bills ng mga seryoso,” said LTFRB Chairman Teofilo Guadiz III.

 (We have coordinated with them to see to it that the deceased will be properly indemnified… and to attend to the medical bills of the seriously injured.)

According to Train, investigators are looking at the possibility of a mechanical defect on the bus brakes as cause of the incident.

Meanwhile, he said the road where the incident happened is accident prone and the interventions done to reduce accidents in the area were not enough.

“May mga intervention na ginawa din diyan. However, hindi sapat na ma-reduce o ma-prevent talaga ang mga accidents sa area. So, most probably baka may innovation o may approaches pa na ma-design diyan. Marami kasi namatay na diyan,” Train added.

(There were already interventions done there. However, it’s not enough to reduce or prevent accidents in the area. So, most probably there would be innovations or other approaches that could be designed there. So many people have already died there.)

A 90-day preventive suspension has already been imposed on VTI as the LTFRB probes into the conditions of the driver, bus, and the road when the incident happened.

Earlier, VTI said it will to cooperate with any investigations regarding the incident.—Jiselle Anne Casucian/AOL, GMA Integrated News