Three people including a two-year-old toddler were injured when a carnival ride derailed in the Philippines.

The festival-goers were on a caterpillar ride when the operator increased the machine's speed, flinging one of the cars off the tracks during Halloween celebrations in Masinloc town, Zambales province, on October 28.

Police identified the wounded as Rodelina Ulao, 24, Carla Mae Calbonge, 23, and a two-year-old boy. Officers said they sustained 'severe injuries' after falling around six feet to the ground.

Police Major Jonathan Bardaje, chief of the Masinloc Police, said: 'They had injuries on their chins, foreheads, and mouths, and they are currently confined at the rural health unit here. They were sent to a hospital in Iba town where they underwent CT scans.

'Fairground management told us this is the first accident since the carnival opened in 1987.'

The cause of the ride's derailment was a loose screw overlooked during maintenance, he added.

Carnival bosses said they were ready to shoulder all of the victims' medical expenses.

All rides at the amusement park have been suspended while investigations are ongoing.