NAKHON SI THAMMARAT: A bus overturned after sliding backwards while ascending a steep hill in Khanom district, killing two passengers and injuring 18 others on Sunday, police said.
Pol Maj Sukrita Jaihao, a Khanom police investigator, said the accident occurred at about 11.30am while a bus was taking a number of tourists from the Hainan Association back to Songkhla province after a trip to Surat Thani for a Hainanese function.
Phankhom Tulathon, 47, the bus driver, told police that while passing Khanom district, the passengers asked him to drive up a hill called Noen Thewada, a well-known tourist spot, for sightseeing.
While climbing up slope, Mr Phankhom said he found the bus was not powerful enough. Although he shifted to a low gear, the bus started to slide backwards and then gathered speed. The bus veered off the road, hit a tree and overturned, ending up on its side.
Two female passengers were crushed to death. They were identified as Sansanee Phurangsee, 46, and Ajjana Nopkhunkachorn, 63, both from Songkhla's Hat Yai district.
Eighteen other passengers were injured, three of them seriously. They were rushed to Khanom and nearby hospitals.
Police were questioning the bus driver to determine the exact cause of the accident.