At least 15 people died when a bus plunged off an elevated freeway in the Philippine capital Manila early Monday and landed on a van, the country's official news agency reported.

The accident happened on the Skyway in the Manila suburb of Paranaque City. In addition to the deaths, at least seven bus passengers were hospitalized, police told the Philippines News Agency.

The accident happened around 5:15 a.m. (4:15 p.m. Sunday ET), the agency reported. The cause was still under investigation, the agency quoted Skyway official Luis Panganiban as saying.

A highway patrol officer collects passengers' belongings from the bus that fell from an elevated highway in Manila.

(Source: CNN)