LOS BA脩OS, Laguna鈥擲ix people died when their car burst into flames after it hit a concrete barrier and slammed into a tree in Tagaytay City in Cavite province yesterday, police said.
The victims鈥攖hree men and three women鈥攚ere on board a red Toyota Vios that was seen speeding along the city鈥檚 Barangay of San Jose at 2:44 a.m. on Sunday before the crash, said Supt. Ferdinand Quirante, Tagaytay City police chief.
Only one of the fatalities鈥擱onalyn Bautista, 17, and a resident of Imus City also in Cavite鈥攚as identified by the police through an identification card recovered by investigators, Quirante said.
The remains of the victims were taken to a funeral home in Dasmari帽as City.
Bautista鈥檚 family could not say who she could be with at the time of the accident.
Quirante, quoting witnesses, said the car was seen near a convenience store in Tagaytay City rotunda shortly before the accident happened along the Tagaytay-Calamba Road.
鈥淚t was running very fast and [was seen swerving] before it hit a concrete barrier and a tree,鈥� he said.
Clyde Yayong of the Office of the Civil Defense in Tagaytay said the crash site was about 400 meters from the village hall.
鈥淲hen the village watchmen arrived, the car was already on fire. Then they saw it burst into bigger flames in less than five minutes,鈥� he said.
Quirante said rescuers came with fire extinguishers and a water hose from a nearby coffee shop but the fire had spread fast and engulfed the car.
The passengers were burned beyond recognition, making it difficult to immediately identify them and determine their ages, Yayong said.