A tragedy occurred in Thailand when a tour bus heading from Bueng Kan province to Rayong province overturned during the journey, causing at least 19 deaths.
The incident occured at around 4am on Wednesday (26 Feb) on Highway 304 in the Na Di district of Prachinburi province.
Rescuers found the bus completely damaged on the roadside, with its roof ripped off.
Source: ตำรวจทางหลวง on Facebook
Authorities carried out an emergency rescue to free the trapped victims before transporting them to Nadi Hospital and Kabinburi Hospital for treatment.
According to Thai news outlet Komchadluek, 16 passengers died at the scene while two succumbed to their injuries at the hospital.
The remaining passengers were reportedly taken back to Bueng Kan province.
The bus was carrying 49 people when it lost control and overturned.
The driver claimed that the accident was caused by the failure of the vehicle’s air brake, reports Khaosod.
Based on pictures of the aftermath, the bus appeared to have flipped over the metal road barrier and landed on its side.
The vehicle was among the three buses en route to Rayong province for an educational field trip — which commenced at around 5pm on 25 Feb.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the bus was travelling at 85km/h at the time of the incident.
Based on the vehicle’s GPS data, the bus driver had possibly driven for more than six hours non-stop without resting the vehicle.
This exceeded the four-hour driving limit stipulated for vehicles travelling long distances.
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Featured image adapted from ตำรวจทางหลวง on Facebook and Thairath.