A 59-year-old Japanese tourist was killed while 11 of his companions were injured after their rented van slammed into a Mahogany tree yesterday afternoon in Oslob town, southern Cebu.
Hiromi Ichimura was pronounced dead on arrival at the South General Hospital where the victims were first taken.
The other passengers, all Japanese nationals, were transferred to the Cebu Doctors Hospital where they are in stable condition, except for one who was wheeled into the Intensive Care Unit. Most of them had cuts and bruises.
The driver of the Toyota Hi-ace van, Guillerma Hella of Toledo City, was detained at the Oslob police station. He will be charged with reckless imprudence resulting in homicide and multiple physical injuries, police said.
The tourists, however, were not inclined to press charges since they wanted to go home to Japan. They were slated to leave in a flight back to their home country on Friday.
Police said the group was supposed to go whaleshark watching in Oslob when the accident happened along the national highway in barangay Gawi.
PO1 Carmelito Dacula of the Oslob police said the driver lost control of the van after the steering wheel “malfunctioned”.
PO3 Franklin Dian, case investigator, however, quoted one of the passengers saying that the driver was motioning that he was feeling drowsy before the accident happened.
The van hit a concrete culvert which was jutting from the roadside before slamming into the tree and fell to its side.
Police said a certain Naoki Matsunaga from the Japan Embassy, flew in from Manila to check on the condition of the victims.
PO1 Dacula who was among those who rushed to the accident site, said the lone fatality , Ichimura, suffered internal hemorrhage.
His body was later brought to the Rolling Hills Memorial Chapels in Mandaue City. / With Siliman University Intern DM Lorena V. Narciso
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