Bus dashcam footage destroyed in Antique crash –bus company

The dashcam footage of the deadly bus crash in Hamtic, Antique had finally been retrieved but was deemed to be unusable, according to a 24 Oras report by Kim Salinas on Friday.

“Sad to say ano siya eh, wasak, so we cannot do something about it. When we were able to find it, yun talaga. Wasak,” said Vallacar Transit Media Relations Officer Jade Ceballos.

The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board said earlier that the recovery of the bus and footage would aid them in their probe into the possibility of a brake malfunction during the crash.

Meanwhile, Antique Governor Rhodora Cadia recommended that the Department of Public Works and Highways close the accident-prone "killer curve" to avoid further incidents such as the Ceres bus crash and to create a safer road.

While the recommendation was welcomed, DPWH 6 Officer-in-Charge Engineer Sanny Boy Oropel said that their department was not to blame for the crash.

“So why put the blame on the roads, existing na daan. Pero ang nangyari, binangga ng bus ang barrier. So why put the blame on DPWH?” Oropel said.

The Antique bus crash death toll rose to 18 on Thursday, while 6 passengers remain in critical condition with four others stabilized. — Jiselle Casucian/DVM, GMA Integrated News