Philippine Coast Guard personnel fish out the Meralco service vehicle.
PHOTO BY RUSSEL PALMA
An employee of the Manila Electric Company (Meralco) died while two others were hurt in a freak accident on Pasig River Saturday morning.
Jose Mari del Rosario, 27, drowned when the company’s service vehicle (Toyota Vios, UGI-432) plunged into the river at about 5:30 a.m.
A police report said the vehicle driven by del Rosario was speeding along J.P. Rizal Street in Barangay Cembo, Makati City when it suddenly swerved and went straight into the river. It sank in a matter of minutes, PO3 Wilson Nacino of the Makati Traffic Enforcement and Investigation Unit said.
Nacino said del Rosario had just come from night duty in Paco, Manila and was on his way to the Meralco office in Pasig City when the accident happened.
Del Rosario was with another Meralco employee, Robert Rillera, who managed to swim and save himself. A pedestrian, Edwin Billones, was injured when the vehicle hit him before it fell into the river.
The Philippine Coast Guard said divers found del Rosario still strapped on the driver’s seat.