Manila: A bus carrying at least 50 workers of Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction Philippines Inc. fell off a mountain road Tuesday, injuring 24 in the latest mishap to hit personnel of the South Korean-owned shipyard, police said.
A Zambales police report said the bus was racing against two other buses when the accident happened at 7 a.m. on Hanjin Road just outside the facility, one of the world's largest yards.
Three of the injured--Darwin Samabella, 21, Nelmer Fontillas, 25, and Jaime Gaylan, 24, all residents of Subic town in Zambales province--were hospitalized in critical condition.
Authorities have suspended the bus service and are investigating.
Hanjin general manager Pyeong Jong Yu said the company does not operate the bus. "We rent it to provide free rides to our workers," he said.
At least 19 work-related deaths have been reported at Hanjin since it started operations in 2006. All the fatalities were Filipinos, except for a Korean foreman who was hit by a forklift driven by a Filipino.
The string of fatal accidents has prompted Sen. Pia Cayetano to call for a Senate inquiry into the cause of work-related deaths at the shipyard. [05/02/09]
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