A bus swerved on a dangerous curve and plunged into a ravine in the central Philippines, killing 17 people on board, a local official said today.

The vehicle was traveling on an “accident-prone” stretch of road in the municipality of Amtik, Antike province, when it veered off the road yesterday afternoon, regional disaster management chief Roderick Train explained in a press release. the service.

In addition to the seventeen people who died, seven others are in critical condition in hospital and another four are in stable condition, the official told AFP.

“It is a mountain road, the bus fell from a great height. That’s why the accident had so many victims,” ​​he explained. The vehicle fell into the ravine from a height of 30 meters.

According to eyewitnesses, the vehicle suffered a “mechanical breakdown”, Mr Train added, stressing that the driver “lost control” of the bus due to “possible brake malfunction”.

The search and rescue operation was completed in the morning, according to him. Authorities will try to retrieve the bus later, he added.

Fatal traffic accidents are common in the Philippines, where drivers not infrequently flout the traffic code, vehicles are often poorly maintained or overloaded, and the road network has many spots known as death traps.