1 dead as pickup truck falls into ravine
SAN NICOLAS, Pangasinan: A 47-yearold woman was killed and five others were injured when an Isuzu pickup truck veered off a zigzag road and fell into a deep ravine along the Villa Verde Trail here on Thursday, February 29.
This was the first accident of its kind in the area since the road that connects the provinces of Pangasinan and Nueva Vizcaya was opened to vehicles in 2020.
Suzie Pacis de Guzman, a resident of Barangay Carmen West in Rosales town, was already dead when she was brought to a hospital in Tayug town, said Cpt. George Banayos Jr., police chief of this town.
Those injured were identified as Samson Casanova Casareno, 71; Tommy Corpuz Ganancial, 47; Brenda Corpuz Ganancial, 49; Sammy Solis Corpuz, 24; and Mack Kevin Ganancial Valdez, 32. They are all in stable condition in a hospital where rescuers took them.
The driver, Arlando Villanueva Mendoza, 51, and Myrna Corpus Casareno, 66, were unscathed, Ganayos said.
Ganayos said that the group, who are all relatives, took off from Rosales town on their way to the mountain village of Malico, dubbed as Pangasinan’s summer capital.
But while they were traversing a winding road along Barangay Santa Maria East in the Villaverde Trail, the driver allegedly lost control of his vehicle, causing it to veer off the road and hit a steel barrier before plunging into the ravine.
Ganayos said that the pickup truck stopped rolling down the ravine after about 25 meters as trees along the slope caught it, preventing it from plunging down the 100-meter deep ravine.
He said the driver, an overseas Filipino worker who just arrived from Cyprus, may not have been familiar with the road.
“But we are still trying to establish whether the accident was caused by human error or mechanical error,” said Ganayos.
Mayor Alice Primicias Enriquez reminded motorists travelling to Malico to be “extra careful” when driving along the Villa Verde Trail.
She said that there are still parts of the road that are being constructed by the Department of Public Works and Highways.
But motorists flock to the area, especially on weekends, to experience the cold temperature and scenic landscapes of Malico.
According to Emelyn Manangan, tourism officer of this town, at least 6,000 tourists visit the village’s tourist attractions daily from Friday to Sunday, and at least 1,000 visitors are in the area during weekdays.
Malico, which sits on top of the Caraballo Mountain, is a 30-minute drive from San Nicolas town. The village has an elevation of 1,675 meters above sea level, more than 200 meters higher than Baguio City.