A Malaysian bus carrying Thai tourists hit a road divider and overturned, killing 26 people, state news agency Bernama reported today.
Deputy police chief of Malaysia's northern Perak state Zakaria Yusof was quoted as saying the driver lost control of the vehicle as it descended from a popular hill resort.
The bus carried 37 Thai tourists and was on route to Kuala Lumpur from where the tourists had been scheduled to fly to Bangkok.
Mr Zakaria said 22 of the victims died on the spot while four others died on the way to hospital.
About 100 rescue personnel were despatched to the scene. The names of the dead have yet to be released.
Malaysia has the highest rate of road traffic fatalities in Southeast Asia, with 23.6 deaths per 100,000 population in 2009 according to a World Health Organisation study.
Reuters