Ten schoolchildren and two adults were killed when their minibus collided with a truck in a rural area of the northern Philippines on Tuesday, police said.

The bus was carrying the high school students to classes in Sarrat town when it tried to overtake a bus only to smash into a truck coming the other way, said a police report.

The minibus driver and his assistant were killed along with ten of their passengers ranging in age from 15 to 11, said regional police chief Senior Superintendent Marlou Chan in his report.

Only one passenger, a 12-year-old boy, survived and is undergoing medical treatment, he added.

The truck driver was only slightly injured and has surrendered to police investigating the case.