At least 15 dead after truck plunges off cliff in southern Philippines

At least 15 people died after a truck plunged off a cliff in South Cotabato province in the southern Philippines on Tuesday morning, local police and an official have said.

Police said the truck, with 20 people on board, veered off the road and plunged off a cliff around 10:35 a.m. along a highway in Lamsalome, a village in T'boli town.

Fourteen people died on the spot while several others were injured, police said in its initial report.

However, Rolly Doane Aquino, head of operations in the provincial disaster and risk reduction management office in South Cotabato, said the death toll has already climbed to 15.

Aquino said an investigation in underway to determine the cause of the accident.

Xinhua