NINE people, including a baby, were killed after a speeding van lost control on a corner and smashed into a row of houses on the edge of a highway in northern Philippines, said police today.

The victims were gathered on the porch of a friend’s house when the accident happened, after attending a wake in Lal-Lo town in Cagayan province on Saturday night.

“They were hanging out when the speeding van ploughed into them,” said Lal-Lo police chief Jefferson Mukay.

A parked sports utility vehicle and motorised tricycle were also hit.

Mukay said the driver and his passenger were taken to hospital in critical condition.

The driver, a military reservist, will face multiple homicide and other charges.

Deadly road accidents are common in the Philippines, where drivers frequently flout the rules and vehicles are often poorly maintained or overloaded.

Last month, at least 11 people were killed after a small truck packed with partygoers veered off a road and overturned. – EPA, February 7, 2022.