Seventeen people were killed and 11 were injured after a passenger bus

fell into a deep ravine after traversing what an official described as a killer curve in Hamtic, Antique on Tuesday afternoon.

The bus was traveling towards Culasi town from Iloilo province when

the crash happened in Barangay Igbucagay, at around 4:30 p.m.

Citing a survivor, Antique Gov. Rhodora Cadiao said the driver apparently

panicked after he lost control of the vehicle.

''The driver honked his horn. Apparently he lost control of the brakes,'' said Cadlao in an interview over dzRH Wednesday

Roderick Train, head of the provincial disaster risk reduction and

management office, said 17 people died with the latest in a hospital on Wednesday at around 3 am.

The bus driver and conductor and were among the casualties. Among the injured were four Kenyans.

Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) Chairperson Teofilo Guadiz III ordered a 90-day suspension of Ceres Bus Liner, which operates the vehicle.

Cadiao said the road goes to the right and sharply turns to the left. ''So if you lose control of the brake, you cannot survive,'' she said. DMS/Jaspearl Tan