Seven persons died and 15 were injured after a dump truck fell into an approximately five-meter ravine in Tabuk City, Kalinga, police said Saturday

The truck was bringing them to a Kalinga customary practice, according to a report by the Philippine National Police ( PNP) Cordillera Administrative Region.

Tabuk City police, Bureau of Fire Prevention personnel and volunteers brought the passengers to three hospitals but said four died on arrival while three passed while being treated, police said.

The injured, including a one-year-old are being treated in various hospitals, police added.

Mark John Lazaro, the truck driver, told police he "failed to engage to a lower gear" when the truck was on the ascending portion of the road, the report said.

"Consequently, the vehicle fell into more or less five meter ravine, then tumbled and landed on its portion, south portion of the road," the police report said.

Lazaro is under custody after surrendering and he is being examined by a rural health unit in Dagupan, said the police report. DMS