At least 16 people have been killed and another 12 injured after a bus plunged into a ravine in a mountain village in the Philippines..

Eight of the wounded in the accident, which happened on Tuesday afternoon in Hamtic town in Antique province, were in critical condition at a local hospital, officials said.

The bus, which came from the nearby Iloilo province, was manoeuvring along the road when the driver lost control, smashed onto a concrete railing then fell into the ravine.

“The driver was repeatedly sounding his horn because he had apparently lost control of the bus before it plummeted into the ravine,” Ronniel Pabustan, an Antique provincial crisis responder, said.

Dozens of rescuers, including police, army and provincial emergency responders, worked to free the victims.

Using stretchers and ropes, they brought the victims up the ravine in a rescue that dragged late into the night, according to Mr Pabustan.

“It’s so tragic and painful because this happened close to Christmas,” he said, adding that among the dead were a baby and the driver.

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The search for victims ended overnight but provincial officials urged village leaders to alert emergency personnel if they find any more victims in the site of the accident, a thickly wooded area in the bottom of the ravine.

Fatal road accidents are common in the Philippines due to weak enforcement of traffic laws, dilapidated vehicles and dangerous road conditions, including inadequate safety signs and barriers on mountain roads and in far-flung provinces.

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