Philippines: Bus crash in Manila kills 15, injures 50

A bus crash in Philippines seriously injured more than 50 people and killed 15, officials said on Monday. The bus was one of several vehicles transporting hundreds of college students to a camping resort when the accident happened in Tanay, about 50 kilometers (30 miles) east of Manila.

Most of the dead and injured were college students on the way to the trip on Monday when the brakes of the bus apparently failed on a steep downhill road. The out-of-control bus then smashed into an electric post, shearing off most of its roof.

The students, mostly taking computer courses, were less than 30 minutes from their destination when the crash occurred, he said.

Berlito Bati Jr., a disaster-response officer in Tanay town in Rizal province east of Manila, the accident site, said the dead included the driver and a professor.

The latest victim died late Monday. There were 62 people on board, although bus manifest listed only 58, Bati said.

The impact of the crash was so strong it ripped off a large chunk of the roof of the bus and scattered the victims' belongings, including a stuffed toy and shoes.

Some of the survivors said they smelled burning rubber before the brakes of the bus apparently failed. Some students screamed in panic as the bus went out of control.

On Tuesday morning, a priest blessed the bus and the site of the accident and led relatives of the dead in prayers.