1. Skip to content
  2. Skip to main menu
  3. Skip to more DW sites
In focus
LA firesTrump inaugurationGerman election 2025
Latest audioLatest videos
Live TV
Catastrophe

Philippines crash kills people going to Mass

December 25, 2017

A bus collided head-on with a van carrying passengers in northern Philippines, killing at least 20 people headed to Christmas Mass. The victims were members of the same extended family, according to police.

https://p.dw.com/p/2puZu
Bus crash next to Agoo - Philippines
Image: picture-alliance/AP

At least 20 people were killed in a pre-dawn collision in north Philippines on Monday, in an incident involving a passenger bus and type of minivan locally known as "jeepney," a customized passenger vehicle based on an SUV. Six children were among the casualties, authorities said.

Read more: Philippine superstorm kills scores, triggers mudslides and flooding

The Philippine Star daily tweeted a picture showing the ruined vehicles.

All of the passengers who lost their lives were riding in the van, the engine of which was ripped off due to the impact. Police said they belonged to the same extended family and were heading to Mass at Our Lady of Manaoag at the time of the crash in the town of Agoo. The Catholic church in the nearby Manaoag is popular among pilgrims.

Read more: Philippine ferry capsizes with 251 people aboard

Philippines Jeepney
Jeepnies are known for their flamboyant decorationImage: picture-alliance/dpa/S. Reboredo

The jeepney driver was also killed. Another nine passengers in the minibus and 17 on the passenger bus were injured, according to the police.

"There is a possibility that the jeepney overtook another vehicle and crashed into the bus on the opposite lane," police chief Roy Villanueva said. "We are also checking if the driver fell asleep and swerved to the other lane."

Read more: Philippine blaze: Call-center workers 'trapped' in inferno

Jeepneys, originally made from decommissioned US army jeeps, are the most popular mode of transport in the Philippines. Rickety vehicles and lack of safety signs, as well as reckless driving often cause deadly road accidents in the Asian country.

dj/rc (AP,AFP,dpa)