11 dead as overloaded bus crashes in Philippines

MANILA, Philippines – Police in the northern Philippines say a minibus so overloaded that passengers were riding on the rooftop has plunged into a 150-meter (500-foot) deep ravine. Eleven people are dead and another 10 injured.

Provincial police chief William Bequeno says the vehicle lost control Sunday while negotiating a rough patch of a mountain road.

The modified Jeep, known as a jeepney and the most popular mode of public transport in the Philippines, was carrying nearly 30 passengers. It wasn't clear whether the driver survived.

Many accidents in the country are blamed on poorly maintained vehicles and roads, inadequate driver training and weak traffic law enforcement.