Death toll in Philippine ‘killer curve’ bus accident rises

The bus was traveling to Culasi in Antique from the neighboring province of Iloilo when its brakes malfunctioned on a winding road and it plunged 30 meters into the ravine. (Iloilo City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office – Urban Search and Rescue Unit via AP)
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Updated 06 December 2023
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Death toll in Philippine ‘killer curve’ bus accident rises

  • Bus carrying dozens of people when its brakes failed in the central province of Antique on Tuesday afternoon
  • The Philippines is notorious for its lax regulation on public transportation and poorly maintained roads

MANILA: A passenger severely injured when a bus plunged into a ravine in the central Philippines has died, taking the death toll from the accident to 17, authorities said on Wednesday.
The bus was carrying dozens of people when its brakes failed in the central province of Antique on Tuesday afternoon, the local governor, Rhodora Cadiao, told a press conference.
Seven people were in critical condition while four were stable and recovering, she said.
Local media had reported earlier than 28 died in the crash.
Cadiao said the bus was traveling to Culasi in Antique from the neighboring province of Iloilo when its brakes malfunctioned on a winding road and it plunged 30 meters (98.5 feet) into the ravine.
“We call that area the killer curve. It was already the second bus that fell off there,” Cadiao told DZRH radio station.
Rescue operations at the site have stopped after all visible bodies were retrieved, the Antique government said on Facebook.
“The engineering design of this road is very faulty,” Cadiao said. “I want to condemn that road already.”
The Philippines is notorious for its lax regulation on public transportation and poorly maintained roads.


Ukraine’s Zelensky says allies to provide new energy and military aid within 10 days

Updated 57 min 45 sec ago
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Ukraine’s Zelensky says allies to provide new energy and military aid within 10 days

  • Kyiv is aiming to rally support among partners as it struggles to fend off Russian battlefield advances and ‌air attacks

KYIV: Ukraine ‌has agreed new energy and military support packages with European allies ahead of ​the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion on February 24, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday.
Kyiv is aiming to rally support among partners as it struggles to fend off Russian battlefield advances and ‌air attacks on ‌its energy system ​while ‌under ⁠US ​pressure to negotiate ⁠peace.
“In Munich, we agreed with the leaders of the Berlin Format on specific packages of energy and military aid for Ukraine by February 24,” Zelensky wrote on ⁠X.
Zelensky said on Friday ‌after a ‌meeting of the so-called Berlin ​Format of about ‌a dozen European leaders in ‌Munich that he had hoped for new support, including air-defense missiles.
“I am grateful to our partners for their ‌readiness to help, and we count on all deliveries arriving promptly,” ⁠he ⁠added.
Russian attacks on major cities such as Kyiv have battered Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, plunging millions of residents into power outages of varying periods in freezing cold weather.
Zelensky added that Russia had launched around 1,300 attack drones, 1,200 guided aerial bombs and dozens ​of ballistic missiles at ​Ukraine over the past week alone.