A 73-year-old man who was lining up to buy P20-per-kilo rice was killed after being hit and dragged by a vehicle while waiting outside a Kadiwa center in Quezon City early Wednesday morning.

According to a report from the Quezon City Police District, the incident happened around 3 a.m. while the victim was waiting in line in front of the Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Animal Industry along Visayas Avenue.

Authorities said the victim was seated on the sidewalk when a speeding black pickup truck suddenly struck him.

The victim was immediately rushed to East Avenue Medical Center but later died from severe injuries to his body and head.

The driver of the pickup truck is now under the custody of the QCPD and is facing charges of reckless imprudence resulting in homicide.

Meanwhile, Genevieve Guevarra expressed sadness over the incident and said the agency would provide financial assistance to the victim’s family.

“This is very unfortunate news. This is exactly the kind of incident we wanted to avoid,” Guevarra said.

She also admitted that improvements are still needed, particularly in ensuring the safety of people lining up at Kadiwa sites.

“We probably need to further strengthen security measures,” she added.

Guevarra also urged the public to avoid arriving too early at Kadiwa centers to prevent similar incidents. “We hope people will avoid going there at those hours because something like this could happen,” the official said.