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DEADLY TURN An altercation on a passenger bus in Quezon City ends in flames. -SCREENSHOT
MANILA, Philippines – What would have been an ordinary trip in Quezon City took a deadly turn Sunday afternoon after a bus passenger doused the driver of the vehicle with gasoline and set him on fire, killing them both.
The hour-long blaze, which also injured four other people, reduced the green bus to a blackened metal hull on Commonwealth Avenue, around the Pearl Drive area. The flames were quickly contained and no other vehicles were affected.
Amelene Sembana, the bus driver, and the passenger, a man, who remained unidentified as of press time Sunday, died.
Personal issue?
Citing witness testimonies, Senior Fire Officer I Robin Topacio said the passenger and Sembana were hitting each other in what appeared to be a fight when the passenger suddenly pulled out a bottle and splashed Sembana with its contents, which turned out to be gasoline.
Topacio said it was unclear why they were fighting, but it seemed to be a “personal matter.”
“They really hit each other. The boy was sitting in the front. They were challenging each other and suddenly he set her on fire, ”she said.
The plastic barriers inside the bus may also have helped spread the fire, he added.
There were about 20 passengers on the bus. Sembana ran to the door of the vehicle but was overtaken by the other passengers who were also rushing out.
With her body on fire blocking the way, the other passengers escaped through the rear window as passersby helped them, smashing the glass.
Videos uploaded online showed bystanders throwing stones at windows as passengers got out of them, calling for help.
Topaz estimated the damage at P50,000.
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