3 die on-the-spot!

WHEN LIGHTNING STRIKES…

PUROK shelter for three road maintenance crewmen proved to be as fatal in a lightning storm as a bolt zapped killing them on the spot Thursday afternoon in Triple Union Catigbian. Another 3 of their companions escaped the tragedy by remaining in the main portion of the nipa hut where the six sought refuge from the heavy downpour. The fatalities hid in the extension of the purok house where a clump of mahogany trees stands by. It turned out that a tie wire used as a clothesline by a nearby household was struck by the lightning electrocuting the three who were huddled in the purok extension. A Post team visited the tragedy site the following day and yielded eyewitnesses accounts about the incident.

CASUALTIES

Singed to the tips of their hair and pronounced dead on arrival (DOA) at the Catigbian District Hospital (CDH) were Diosdado Pakog and David Quitoriano, both 46, married, of nearby Barangay Alegria and casual Capitol workers, and Delfin Coquilla, 64, married, of Barangay Candumayao of the same town, a regular Capitol employee who would have retired come December. Confined at the CDH were Perfecto Renoblas, 58, married, of Triple Union and David Olbes, 61, married, of Barangay Baang, both regular employees and Justino Lumuthang, 39, married, of Barangay Ambuan, a casual employee, all of Catigbian. Renoblas Thursday night told Capitol's Quick Response Team (QRT) headed by Engr. Emmanuel Caberte that he found refuge in the purok house first. The sudden downpour was too heavy to just stay out so that they scooted to the nearest shelter.

However, he felt too uncomfortable when Pakog, Quitoriano and Coquilla followed him and literally crowded him out – he moved to the extension which doubles as a kitchen. The move saved his life: when the bolt of lightning struck, he witnessed the three lifted off their feet and slammed back onto the ground. Gov. Erico Aumentado constituted the team for such incidents to assess the situation and needs and to provide financial and other support for the victims. The QRT that includes Constancia Tuñacao, provincial social welfare and development officer, gave the victims 25 kilos of rice, half carton of sardines and 20 packs of noodles to each of the six families. Tuñacao's staff returned the following day to distribute P5,000 to each surviving family, and P2T each to the survivors.

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