14 students killed in Philippines bus accident

At least 14 college students were killed in a bus accident on Monday in the Philippines' Rizal province, the state police said.

The bus was carrying around 50 persons making their way to a research field trip at a camp site when it crashed into a roadside electrical post.

Bong Bati, administrative officer of the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, told local media that 10 students died at the scene, while four others passed away later in a hospital, Efe news reported.

The police and army officials attended the scene to secure the accident site, where the vehicle had been wrecked and thrown to the side of the road by the force of the impact.

Authorities said the driver lost control on a downhill road after the brakes failed, and deliberately steered into the post to stop the bus.

The students had left the Bestlink College of the Philippines in Quezon city at 6 a.m. to travel to the Sacramento Adventure Park for a camping tour as part of the National Service Training Program, a school official said.

--IANS

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