embankment

At least 40 people including nationals of Malawi and Zimbabwe were killed when a passenger bus rolled down an embankment in South Africa, a provincial transport minister said Monday.

According to an eyewitness, Prefontaine was driving downhill on a two-lane road when he swerved to avoid another car, slammed against an embankment and flipped his vehicle.

It appeared that the helicopter augered into the dirt embankment on the side of the highway, tearing up weeds with its tail rotor before skidding across five freeway lanes.

"Although the energy decreases once it reaches the plains, it still remains powerful and fast - far beyond what a typical river embankment can handle."

It's a charge that is resonating across the Philippines, where people are asking why the government cannot tame the floods with the billions of pesos it pours into infrastructure like roads, bridges and embankments.