Philippines rail and cars crash; 12 dead

Rescuers in the Philippines freed more than 100 train passengers trapped on Friday when a crowded economy carriage derailed and dragged other cars into a steep ravine, killing at least 12 people. The train's speed was believed to be a factor in the early morning crash in the central province of Quezon. Track and fittings in the area had been stolen in the past and sold as scrap metal, railway engineers and disaster officials said.
Estimates of the number of people on board ranged from 312 to more than 400.
"It's simply a case of over-speeding," said Noli Tolentino, a Philippine National Railways maintenance engineer, adding the train could have been travelling at up to 60 kph (37 mph) as it negotiated a sharp curve near the town of Padre Burgos.