15 dead as truck falls into ravine in Negros Oriental: rescue official

This handout photo obtained from the Facebook account of Zyrus Vince on February 21, 2024 shows an aerial view of a road accident in Mabinay, Negros Oriental. Fifteen people have died on February 21, after a truck careered off the road and plummeted down a ravine in central Philippines, a rescue official said. Photo courtesy of ZYRUS VINCE / AFP

Fifteen people were killed Wednesday after a truck plummeted down a ravine in the central Philippines, a rescue official said.

The vehicle was carrying people on their way to a livestock market on Negros island, Michael Cabugnason, a rescue official from Mabinay municipality told AFP.

"Witnesses said the truck went out of control towards the sharp bend of the road," he said, adding the mountainous area near Mabinay was a frequent scene of road accidents.

Of the 17 people onboard, only one passenger and the driver survived.

The driver was found drenched in motor oil in the wreck at the bottom of the ravine at least 50 metres (164 feet) below the road, Cabugnason said.

Deadly road accidents are common in the Philippines, where drivers frequently flout the rules and vehicles are often poorly maintained or overloaded.