SUV Falls Into Ravine, Kills One, Injures Seven

By Glazyl M. Jopson

BACOLOD CITY – A 58-year-old woman died while seven others, including four police officers and two children, were injured when their sport utility vehicle (SUV) fell into a ravine in Sitio Talus, Barangay Igmaya-an, Don Salvador Benedicto, Negros Occidental on Saturday.

Police Maj. Ryan Villasario, chief of the Don Salvador Benedicto Municipal Police Station, identified the fatality only as “Daisy,” a resident of Bago City.

Villasario said Daisy was the last to be rescued after she was trapped inside the overturned vehicle.

She sustained head injuries and was declared dead at a hospital.

Authorities have yet to confirm her relationship to the other passengers.

Villasario said one of the two policewomen was driving the Toyota Avanza from Bacolod toward the town proper when she possibly lost control while approaching a curve.

The vehicle plunged into a ravine approximately 40 to 50 meters deep.

The seven survivors sustained minor injuries and are now recovering at a private hospital in Bacolod.

According to Villasario, the two male officers held the ranks of corporal and patrolman, while the two female officers both held the rank of corporal and were assigned to the Bacolod City Police Office.

Police are waiting for equipment to retrieve the vehicle from the ravine.