Thai Tour Bus Crashes in Malaysia Killing 26

VOA Breaking News (Voice of America)
December 20, 2010 at 9:21 am

Malaysian officials say 26 people were killed Monday when a bus carrying tourists from Thailand overturned on a highway in Malaysia.

Authorities say the tourists were on their way to Kuala Lumpur for the flight home after a visit to the Cameron Highlands, one of Malaysia's most popular resort areas. Officials say the driver of the bus lost control and hit a highway divider, causing the double-decker bus to flip over.

Police said 22 people were killed at the scene and four others died while being transported to hospitals. The dead included the driver and two other Malaysians working for the tour company.

About a dozen other people were injured.

Bus crashes are common in Malaysia, which has the highest rate of road traffic fatalities in Southeast Asia, according to a World Health Organization study.