Manila - Fifteen people were killed in the southern Philippines when a 10-wheeler truck slammed into a passenger van after its front wheel exploded, police said Thursday.

The accident occurred Wednesday in the town of Dangcagan in Bukidnon province, 855 kilometres south of Manila, said the town's police chief, Inspector Teresita Taperla Salana.

Salana said the truck's front wheel exploded as it was negotiating a curve in the village of Poblacion.

"According to witnesses, the truck was speeding when its wheel exploded at the curve," he said. "It slammed on the approaching van. All the passengers died on the spot."

The van was totalled in the accident, Salana said.

"It was a terrible sight," he added.

Six women and nine men died in the accident, considered one of the worst vehicular collisions in the town in about 10 years, Salana said. (dpa)