Death toll in Cotabato road mishap climbs to 17

BUTUAN: Fifteen of the 17 persons who perished in a road mishap in the Cotabato town of Antipas have been identified, the local police said Tuesday.

Monday’s tragedy burned alive most of the passengers of the van following a head-on collision with a dump truck fully loaded with sand in Barangay Luhong, police said.

Capt. Godofredo Tupaz II, Antipas chief of police, told reporters on Tuesday said a male and a female have yet to be identified.

The lone surviving van passenger, Rosario Reyes, a former barangay chairperson of Luhong, remains at the hospital.

The local government has already distributed cash assistance to the families of the victims.

Source: Philippines News Agency