FOUR men from Pangasinan were among five construction workers who died after their dump truck plunged into a ravine in Sitio Gawa, Barangay Tocucan, along the Bontoc–Tabuk–Enrile Road early Monday morning, October 27, 2025.

The Mitsubishi Canter mini dump truck, with plate number WDV 233, reportedly collided with two other vehicles—a Ford Fiera and another dump truck—before falling about 150 to 170 meters into the Chico River.

The victims, all employees of Balintugan Construction, were on their way to a project site in Kuro-Kuro, Sadanga, Mountain Province.

Rescue teams were immediately dispatched after the Bontoc Operations Center received a distress call around 6:00 a.m. Three of the five workers were recovered and declared dead at the scene.

They were identified as Rogelio Romeo Dela Cruz Jr., 22, and JC Aquino Galicia, 20, both of San Rafael East, San Nicolas, Pangasinan; and Zoren Jay Luaso Alat, 25, of Siayam, Zamboanga del Norte.

The following day, October 28, rescuers recovered the body of Carlo Ancheta of Barangay Evangelista, Tayug, Pangasinan, several meters from the submerged truck in the Chico River.

On the third day of search and retrieval operations, October 29, the body of the last missing worker, Edmund Romeo, also from Pangasinan, was found around 4:38 p.m. (Eva Visperas)