SAN JOSE, Antique – The hanging bridge in Barangay Latazon, Laua-an town collapsed afternoon of June 15. Three persons were hospitalized for injuries.
The bridge’s concrete post fell over, bringing down with it its cable wire, according to Broderick Train, the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (PDRRM) officer.
He believed there was overloading.
The injured persons were information technology personnel John Michael Villabert of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and on-the-job trainees Arlene Bangcaya of Barangay Necesito and Allyn Joy Necor of Barangay Intao, all in Laua-an.
Just minutes before the accident, a group from DTI launched P1.118-million worth of shared service facilities for the traditional herbal medicines production of the Latazon Indigenous People Organization.
According to Antique Trade and Industry development specialist Glen Fernando,
Villabert and the OJTs were crossing the hanging bridge ahead of DTI-Antique provincial director Dinda Tamayo when the hanging bridge collapsed.
With facial and cranial injuries, Villabert was initially taken to the Angel Salazar Memorial General Hospital in San Jose. He was eventually transferred to the Western Visayas Medical Center in Iloilo City, according to the Laua-an police station.
Bangcaya fractured her left thigh while Necor had cuts on an eyebrow and upper lip.
Aside from Tamayo who was luckily unhurt, DTI Region 6 Small and Medium Enterprise Development Division OIC chief Jade Gonzales was also safe. Gonzales represented DTI regional director Rebecca Rascon in the launching.
Information reached Panay News that Villavert needed surgery. His family was appealing for financial assistance./PN
