Six dead as tourist bus falls into ravine in C. Philippine city

At least six persons died when a tourist bus carrying about 50 nursing students, mostly Iranian nationals, fell into a deep ravine Sunday morning at a highway some 63.9 kilometers west of Cebu City in central Philippines, local media radio reported Sunday afternoon.

Six bodies were retrieved but their nationalities were unable to be confirmed so far, said Alex Binghaym, mayor of Balamban town, where the accident happened.

The victims were all nursing and medical students of the Cebu Doctors University. They were on the way to a beach in Balamban town when the accident took place.

The tourist bus fell some 20 meters to 30 meters deep into a ravine at around 10:30 a.m.

There were several survivors and the paramedics from the Cebu City-based Emergency Rescue Unit Foundation (ERUF) have been trying to look for more survivors.

Bad roads, speeding and poor vehicle maintenance often cause road accidents that kill thousands in the Philippines every year, according to police.

Source:Xinhua