Nine killed in Philippine van crash

Nine people including a baby were killed in the northern Philippines after a speeding van lost control on a corner and smashed into a row of houses on the edge of a highway, police said. The victims were gathered on the porch of a friend's house after attending a wake in Lal-Lo town in Cagayan province on Saturday night when the accident happened.

'They were hanging out when the speeding van ploughed into them,' Lal-Lo police chief Jefferson Mukay said. A parked sports utility vehicle and motorised tricycle were also hit. The driver of the van, a military reservist, and his passenger were taken to hospital in a critical condition, Mukay said. He said the driver would face multiple homicide and other charges. - AFP