MANILA, Dec. 25 (Xinhua) -- Eight people were killed and several others were injured when a jeepney careened off the road and smashed into a ravine in southern Philippines, local media reported on Monday.

It was reported that the jeepney, packed with passengers and cargo on its way from Kidapawan City to Arakan, lost its brakes in President Roxas, Cotabato province in Mindanao and fell off a 60-foot ravine.

The jeepney, which traces its root to the U.S. Willys jeep used by the U.S. army during World War II, remains the main transport for millions of Filipinos across the archipelago.