MANILA (Reuters) - A bus swerved off the road into a ravine in the northern Philippines Wednesday killing at least 40 people, local officials said.

The accident happened in the hills outside Baguio City, about 240 km (150 miles) north of Manila. Police said a mechanical fault may have been to blame.
Wilben Mayor, the local police senior superintendent, cited the conductor, one of about half a dozen people to survive the crash, as saying the driver had been unable to shift gear.