Zamboanga del sur: Two passengers lost their lives and 28 others sustained injuries when a bus collided with a tree and veered into a roadside ditch in Dumingag, Zamboanga del Sur on Thursday morning.

According to Philippines News Agency, Jufil Mabanag, the municipal information officer of Dumingag, reported that the accident took place around 7:20 a.m. in Purok 4, Barangay Mahayahay. The bus was en route to Pagadian City, Zamboanga del Sur, from Sindangan, Zamboanga del Norte.

Mabanag stated in a radio interview that the location of the incident is known to be accident-prone, with another vehicular accident having occurred at the same spot recently. The two fatalities included Roy Bermudez, a cadet officer in the Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC), and an unidentified male senior citizen.

A police investigation indicated that the passenger bus plunged into the ditch after experiencing a brake malfunction while navigating a descending curve in Mahayahay village. Mabanag highlighted that most of the passengers were students heading to an ROTC graduation practice, and they were transported to various hospitals in Zamboanga del Sur for medical treatment.