16 people, including kids, hurt as footbridge overturns in Sarangani
GENERAL SANTOS, Philippines – Sixteen people, including three children, were injured and rushed to hospitals after a footbridge overturned in Daan Suyan, Malapatan town in Sarangani, on the eve of the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections.
Malapatan Mayor Salway Sumbo Jr. said 20 people were crossing the 300-meter bridge when it swayed and flipped, causing most of them to fall into the river below, on Sunday, October 29.
The hanging footbridge had been a subject of complaints by residents since last year; the last repair work on the bridge took place after it was swept away by rampaging waters during a river overflow in June 2017.
Bon-Bon Quino, the chief of the Malapatan Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (MDRRMO), said many of those injured were still in the hospital as of Monday, October 30.
“This serves as a timely reminder of the importance of our choices in today’s barangay elections,” said motorcycle taxi driver Tong Minoy. – Rappler.com