Fifteen tourists heading to Boracay hurt in crash

Manila: Fifteen tourists, including 11 from China, were injured when their bus collided with a dump truck, while they were on their way to Boracay, a famous tourist spot for its white beach in central Philippines, according to a TV report on Friday.

Apart from the 11 Chinese tourists, also hurt were four Filipinos: two tourist guides, one photographer, and the driver of the Island Star Express bus.

They were all brought Aklan Baptist Hospital in Caticlan, near the incident which happened in Habana Village, Nabas town at 6:30am on Friday, Chief Supt. Agrimero Cruz, spokesman of the Philippine National Police (PNP) spokesman told ABS CBN, a TV network.

The collision occurred because the truck driver avoided a van infront of him, prompting him to shift to the opposite side of the road where it collided with an oncoming 10 wheeler dump, said Cruz, adding his report was based of the statement given by Police Inspector Renante Matillano of Nabas town.

The tourists came from the Caticlan Airport in Aklan,and took a tourist bus to Boracay.

Tourists usually flock to Boracay during summer and not during the rainy season because typhoons from the south usually pass by central Philippines.

Meanwhile, foreigners were angry that Boracay Island, known as one of the world's best tourist destinations remained flooded following devastations brought by Tropical Depression Ramon which passed central Philippines before leaving for the South China Sea on Thursday).

"(I am) absolutely discouraged," Philip Fitzeera, a British national, told ABS CBN.

"The (local) government should move (fast to solve this problem). The government should also act because the people are paying their taxes," said Fitzeera, adding, "In our country we pay taxes and they do everything (for us)."

Knee-deep flood waters have been coursed through the sea, Mar Casimiro, a resident, said, adding that hotel workers have been using water pumps to do this.

"It's my first time to see Boracay get flooded this way," Casimero admitted.

Video clips showed store vendors building makeshift bridges for tourists.

Explaining the situation, Aklan Governor Carlito Marquez said that canals have been clogged in the island, adding this happened because some of the swamps around Boracay have been dumped with soil.

The department of environment and natural resources has been trying to solve this problem, said Marquez.