Manila  - Nine people were killed Wednesday when a passenger bus crashed into a private pick-up truck in the northern Philippines, police said.

Chief Superintendent Roberto Damian, a regional police director, said the accident occurred before dawn along a highway in Cauayan City in the northern province of Isabella.

Damian said the impact of the collision pushed the pick-up truck into a ravine, killing the driver.

Eight passengers from the bus were killed, while 24 were injured.

"The bus swerved and hit the pick-up truck, which then fell into a ravine, killing the driver," Damian said. "The passenger was rushed to a nearby hospital." (dpa)