Road crash kills twelve persons in Albay

By Rhaydz Barcia

LEGAZPI CITY --- Twelve people were killed after a speeding 14-wheeler truck traversing a bypass road toward the Maharlika Highway junction in Camalig, Albay collided head-on with an approaching UV Express van from Nabua, Camarines Sur bound for Legazpi City at around 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday.

Roderick Mendoza, chief of the Albay Public Safety Emergency Management Office, said seven bodies had been recovered, while five more — including two children — remained trapped inside the crushed van. Responders said the bodies were “totally crumpled” due to the impact.

Retrieval teams have been working since 9:00 a.m., or nearly eight hours as of this writing, but continue to face difficulty because the 14-wheeler truck ran over the passenger van.

Camalig Mayor Carlos Irwin “Caloy” Baldo has requested the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to deploy heavy equipment to help tow the truck and allow responders to reach the remaining victims.

The ongoing retrieval operation involves personnel from the Bureau of Fire Protection–Camalig, Special Rescue Force, Camalig Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO), and other response teams.

Initial police reports from the Albay Provincial Police Office under Col. Noel Nuñez identified the passenger vehicle as a white UV Express van with Plate No. GAJ 6626. It was struck by a trailer truck (Plate No. RFK 576) driven by Recson Zamora.

Police said the UV Express, coming from Guinobatan and heading to Camalig, was passing Purok 5, Barangay Libod, near the Maxi Lechon restaurant, when the truck coming from the Sua bypass road lost control on a descending portion of the road. The truck slammed into the UV Express and both vehicles fell into a ravine.

After the head-on collision, the cargo truck reportedly rammed over the van, killing all passengers. Authorities described it as the most tragic vehicular accident in Albay this year. Retrieval teams are racing to extricate the remaining bodies before nightfall.

A composite retrieval team works to extricate lifeless bodies from the wreckage of a UV Express van that was hit and run over by a 14-wheeler cargo truck. The tragic crash occurred at Purok 5, Barangay Libod, Camalig, Albay on Wednesday, November 26, 2025. (Photos courtesy of Mayor Carlos Irwin Baldo Jr.)