Filipino-German beauty queen killed in accident

MANILA - A Filipino-German beauty queen and two companions were killed in a road collision in the eastern Philippines, a police spokesman said Sunday.

Melody Gersbach, 24, died on arrival at a hospital Saturday shortly after the van she was riding was struck by a passenger bus in Bula town in Camarines Sur province, 225 kilometres south-east of Manila, Senior Superintendent Agrimero Cruz said.

Cruz said the van driver and Gersbach’s make-up artist were also killed in the accident, while another passenger survived.

Four passengers of the bus were also injured in the accident, Cruz added.

The bus driver immediately surrendered to the police and told investigators he lost control of the bus after it developed a mechanical problem.

Gersbach represented the Philippines in the Miss International beauty pageant in Beijing last year.

A native of nearby Legazpi City, Gersbach was born to a German father and a Filipino mother.