Runaway truck kills 8 children in Philippines: officials

Eight schoolchildren were among nine people killed yesterday aboard a runaway truck that crashed in central Philippines while transporting them to a sports activity, the authorities said.

The dump truck’s brakes failed while it descended a mountain road outside Boljoon town centre with about 30 children and a few parents and teachers crammed on the truck bed, town mayor Merlou Derama told AFP. “The driver tried to slow the vehicle by brushing its side against the mountain,” Derama said, adding it fell on its side instead.

Three girls and five boys aged between 11 and 12 and a mother died immediately, while five other children were taken to hospital, he added. The local government lent the vehicle to the remote school to transport its athletes to a competition in Boljoon because transport options are limited in the area, Mayor Derama said.