A bus carrying Korean tourists and a passenger bus collided as they crossed a bridge in Loay town, Bohol province on Thursday afternoon, injuring at least 23 people.

PO1 Romel Ediong of the Loay police station said passengers’ accounts show that at 5:40 p.m. on Thursday, while crossing the Palo Bridge in Barangay Palo in Loay, about 2 km from the town proper, the driver of the Southern Star bus tried to avoid hitting a motorcycle that was tailing the tourist bus.

The Southern Star bus lost control and ended up hitting the tourist bus.

The Southern Star, which was carrying at least 39 passengers and four crew from Ubay town, crashed through the railings of the bridge and plunged into a 10-foot deep river.

The tourist bus, on the other hand, hit the motorcycle that caused the driver and the back rider to be thrown off. The motorcycle landed at the edge of the river.

At least 23 injured passengers of the Southern Star were brought to Gov. Celestino Gallares Memorial Hospital in Tagbilaran City.

None of the passengers of the tourist bus that was carrying 18 Korean tourists and three crew from Carmen, was hurt. The bus was heading to Tagbilaran City.

Ediong said most of the injured had been discharged from the hospital on Thursday except for the motorcycle driver and his back rider and a bus passenger, who had to be confined at the hospital for more adequate treatment of fractures and wounds.

A crane was used to pull out the two buses at 9:30 p.m.  which caused a huge traffic. (Leo Udtohan)