A total of 40 miners were injured when the bus they were riding in fell into a 60-foot ravine in Maco, Compostela Valley, a local police commander said Monday.

Senior Superintendent Aaron Aquino, director of the Compostela Valley Police Office, said all the victims were on their way home from the Barangay Maligay mining site of Apex Mining Company.

Quoting field reports, Aquino said the accident occurred while the bus the victims were riding in was giving way to other vehicles to pass by a narrow road in Barangay Masara at around 3:30 p.m. on Sunday.

The bus, he said, was hired by the mining firm to transport its employees to the Barangay Masara proper.

“While the bus was on a standby, the portion of the soil on its front wheel collapsed and caused the vehicle to roll down the deep ravine," said Aquino.

“The ravine is approximately 60 feet deep, the reason why some of the victims sustained serious injuries," he added.

Fortunately, the two other vehicles in front of the bus were not affected, said Aquino.

The official said the accident inflicted injuries to all the 40 people on board the bus. They were all taken to the nearby hospitals.

Aquino said 24 of the passengers were taken to the Tagum Doctors Hospital while the rest were transferred to the Bishop Regan Hospital, both in Tagum City.