Village watchman dies, 11 hurt as truck falls down ravine in Isabela

SAN MARIANO, Isabela – A village watchman died while 11 others were injured when a truck fell down a ravine and crashed into a rice field on Friday morning in Barangay (village) San Pablo.

The crash killed Rubelino Amistad, head watchman of Balliao village in nearby Benito Soliven town, police said.

The trucks’ other passengers were brought to the Faustino Dy Sr. Memorial Hospital for treatment. Their identities were not released at press time, although they were described as Balliao residents who were on their way to Cauayan town to withdraw their allowances from the government’s conditional cash transfer program.

One account says driver Rodalyn Ortaliza tried to steer away from an oncoming truck at a narrow road by taking the road shoulder.

But the road was muddy causing the truck to flip over the shallow ravine.