The Philippine National Police say at least 11 people have been killed after a small truck packed with partygoers, including children, overturned in the southern part of the country.
The vehicle was traveling to a beachside resort on Mindanao Island for a postponed Christmas party on Wednesday, January 12, when the driver lost control after the brakes apparently failed on a downhill section of road.
Balingasag municipal police chief, Teodoro De Oro, said around 50 people were crammed into the truck, most of them in the open tray, when it veered off the road into a tree and flipped over a pile of rocks.
He added that 11 people were killed, including a three-year-old child, and informed that the police were seeking to confirm another three deaths.
Scores of other passengers were injured, including a dozen children.
The vehicle was part of a convoy of three trucks but the other two were not involved in the accident, the police chief De Oro said.
The Philippines has a huge record of fatal road crashes where drivers frequently flout the rules and vehicles are often poorly maintained or overloaded.
