Manila  - A 34-year-old mother drowned her four children, including a 9-month-old baby, in a river in a central Philippine province, a police report said Friday.

The mother was believed to be suffering from depression when she drowned her children Thursday, the report said.

Police said the suspect, whose identity was withheld, first threw her baby in the river in Calatrava town in Negros Occidental province, 540 kilometres south of Manila.

She then jumped into the river with her three other children, ages 12, 8 and 6, they said.

The police report said the suspect returned home and told her husband about the incident. Police officers later arrested the woman, who has expressed remorse for what happened. (dpa)