MANILA, Philippines (AFP) — Nine people including a baby were killed in the northern Philippines after a speeding van lost control on a corner and smashed into a row of houses on the edge of a highway, police said Monday.
The victims were gathered on the porch of a friend’s house after attending a wake in Lal-Lo town in Cagayan province on Saturday night when the accident happened.
“They were hanging out when the speeding van ploughed into them,” Lal-Lo police chief Jefferson Mukay told AFP.
A parked sports utility vehicle and motorised tricycle were also hit.
The driver of the van, a military reservist, and his passenger were taken to hospital in a critical condition, Mukay said.
He said the driver would face multiple homicide and other charges.
Deadly road accidents are common in the Philippines, where drivers frequently flout the rules and vehicles are often poorly maintained or overloaded.
In January, at least 11 people were killed in the southern Philippines after a small truck packed with partygoers veered off a road and overturned.
© Agence France-Presse