2 soldiers perish in Cotabato road accident

KIDAPAWAN CITY – Two soldiers from the Army’s 19th Infantry Battalion (19th IB) died, while three others were injured, including the driver, when the dump truck they were riding plunged into a 20-feet ravine while traversing a narrow dirt road in Barangay Meocan, Arakan, North Cotabato, around Thursday noon, a military official said.

Lt. Col. Ehrlich Noel Paraso, commander of the 19th IB, identified the slain soldiers as Private First Class Joemar Tan and Corporal Vincent Sarona, both members of the Scout Rangers Company and deployed at the 19th IB.

Sr. Insp. Jun Napat, chief of the Arakan PNP, said the driver of the government-owned truck had made a sudden stop along a narrow portion of the dirt road, only to realize that the ground was too soft to support the vehicle.

As a result, the ground under the truck collapsed, sending it toppling into a cliff, Napat said.

The area had been identified by the municipal government as landslideprone.

Napat added that Tan and Sarona, who were both seated at the back of the truck, were thrown away from the vehicle and landed on the cliff.

Tan died while being treated at the Municipal Health Services Center in Arakan, while Sarona expired at the Madonna General Hospital in Kidapawan City.

The other three soldiers who survived the accident but sustained several injuries were also rushed to the Madonna Genera Hospital, reports said.

Rescuers and staff of the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (MDRRM) of the Arakan LGU went immediately to the area to secure and apply first aid to the victims.

Lt. Col. Paraso, in a statement, said Tan and Sarona had died serving the people of Arakan Valley Development Complex by maintaining and protecting the community.