MANILA, July 22: A truck transporting relatives to a wake crashed into a roadside ditch in the central Philippines, killing 15 people, police and officials said on Sunday.

The truck was speeding downhill in a remote village in the island province of Biliran Saturday evening when the accident occurred, provincial police spokesman Chief Inspector Wilfredo Gervacio said.

He said 13 of the victims were crushed and killed instantly, while two others died while in hospital.

There were 28 people in the truck, with the survivors suffering various injuries.

“We are a small community here and people know each other, so we are very saddened by this accident,” provincial governor Gerry Espina told local radio.

“The victims were all related to each other and they were on their way to visit a wake of another relative.” Farm and construction trucks are commonly used to transport villagers in remote parts of the Philippines, and road accidents involving these vehicles as well as old passenger buses are fairly common.—AFP