CITY OF SAN JOSE DEL MONTE, Bulacan — Four people, including two one-year-old girls, died while 45 others were hurt after a water tank of the San Jose Del Monte (SJDM) Water District in Barangay Muzon here collapsed early Friday.
San Jose Del Monte City police chief Supt. Fitz Macariola identified the fatalities as 50-year-old Jimmy Garcia, Elaine Tiamson, 22 and two one-year-olds. The victims are all residents of the barangay.
Macariola said the incident happened around 3:30 a.m. on Friday.
Big volume of water burst and swept through residential houses and a nearby police detachment like a tidal wave, witnesses said.
The fatalities were recovered under debris, police investigators said. Rescuers brought the injured residents to the different hospitals in the city and still undergoing treatment. Police are still investigating the cause of the collapse.
The collapsed structure is 14 by 13 meters in height and has a 2,000 cubic meter capacity. The SJDM Water District is headed by General Manager Loreto Limcolioc.
To avoid a repeat of the accident, Governor Wilhelmino M. Sy-Alvarado on Friday ordered the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) to coordinate with the different water district officials in the province and inspect their water tanks and its structural integrity.
Alvarado said he was informed that there are many water tanks in the city and in other parts of the province which are similar to the water tank of the SJDM Water District.
“This tragedy happened like a thief in the night. We must inspect and ensure that the structural integrity of these facilities are safe and durable,” he said. (PNA)
