Inferno on the highway: Woman killed after car slams into fuel tanker in Bataan
- A 48-year-old woman died and four others were injured after a car collided with a fuel tanker in Orion, Bataan, on Friday afternoon
- The tanker was carrying 30,000 liters of diesel and gasoline, which ignited upon impact, destroying 11 nearby parked motorcycles and trikes
- CCTV footage showed a speeding white sedan swerving into the tanker's lane, causing the massive spill and subsequent explosion
- While the car's driver remains in the ICU, the tanker driver escaped with minor injuries after jumping from the vehicle before it burned
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A Friday afternoon commute turned into a nightmare in Orion, Bataan, as a high-speed collision between a passenger car and an industrial fuel tanker ignited a massive fireball, leaving one woman dead and several others with varying degrees of injuries.
Source: Youtube
The incident, which occurred on January 16, 2026, put the traffic at a standstill on the Roman Superhighway as 30,000 liters of volatile fuel spilled across the asphalt, engulfing multiple nearby vehicles in a wall of flame.
CCTV footage captured the final moments before the disaster. At approximately 5:00 PM in Barangay Puting Buhangin, a white Honda Civic traveling at high speed suddenly veered out of its lane.
Witnesses described the car "encroaching" into the opposite lane, directly into the path of an oncoming trailer tanker.
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The impact was cataclysmic. The car was tossed across the highway like a toy, while the tanker—hauling 24,000 liters of diesel and 6,000 liters of gasoline—overturned and slid several meters before erupting into flames.
The tragedy claimed the life of Audie Gamella Mendeja, a 48-year-old passenger in the car, who was declared dead on arrival at Bataan General Hospital.
The driver of the sedan, 37-year-old Amado Ison Fulgencio, remains in critical condition in the intensive care unit.
Two minors who were also in the car miraculously survived the impact but are currently being treated for various injuries.
In contrast, the tanker driver managed to leap from his cabin just seconds before the fuel ignited, escaping with only minor bruises.
"Talagang sinubukan ko na iwasan sila," the driver reportedly told police, a statement supported by eyewitness accounts and video evidence showing his last-second attempt to steer away.
The inferno did not stop at the two primary vehicles. As the fuel leaked onto the road, the fire spread rapidly, gutting eight motorcycles and three tricycles parked nearby.
Firefighters from Orion and Limay battled the blaze for over an hour, finally declaring "fire out" at 6:15 PM.
Police Major Madtaib Jalman, chief of the Orion Police, confirmed that while the tanker driver was initially taken into custody, he was later released as the investigation increasingly points toward the sedan's lane encroachment as the primary cause of the wreck.
In other news, following a three-day search, a 35-year-old woman’s remains were found Saturday, January 17, 2026, stuffed inside a trash bag and hidden under a bed in Samal, Bataan. Investigators believe the victim was fatally strangled using a length of electrical wire, pointing toward a violent domestic altercation that turned deadly. According to the victim's sister, the couple had split due to the husband's alleged infidelity; the attack reportedly occurred after the victim rejected his plea to reunite. Law enforcement has launched a major operation to track down the husband, a security guard, who disappeared shortly before family members discovered the body.
Still in other news, a 35-year-old man was apprehended by Quezon City police for the alleged broad-daylight snatching of a high-end smartphone valued at P30,000 from a diner. The suspect was quickly identified because he accidentally dropped his personal ID during the scuffle, allowing police to use the victim’s GPS tracking app to pin down his location. During a raid on the suspect’s residence, authorities recovered the stolen mobile device and discovered a hidden "paltik" or improvised firearm. The investigation is currently focused on identifying and capturing a second individual who allegedly acted as the getaway motorcycle driver during the crime.
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Source: KAMI.com.gh
