Malaysia probes bus crash

MALAYSIA: Malaysian authorities Tuesday probed the cause of a bus crash that killed 27 people, mostly Thai tourists, in the worst coach accident in the nation's history.

The Thai holidaymakers were returning to the capital Kuala Lumpur from the Cameron Highlands on Monday when their bus crashed into a road divider and overturned into a ditch.

"Our final count as of this morning is that 27 people were killed in the bus accident," said Zakaria Yusof, acting police chief in Perak state. On Monday the toll had been put at 28.

The dead included two Malaysians, the driver and a tour guide, Zakaria told AFP. "There was confusion yesterday on the ground as it was believed that three Malaysians were killed," he said.

Police said the vehicle had been travelling along a winding road after leaving the hilltop resort when the driver lost control on a sharp corner and crashed into the ditch at the bottom of a rocky slope.

Coach crashes are relatively common in Malaysia, often involving interstate routes, and accompanied by revelations that drivers were unlicensed, speeding or under the influence of drugs to keep themselves awake.

Transport Minister Kong Cho Ha said the Malaysian Research Institute on Road Safety (Miros) has been charged with investigating the cause of the horrific crash.

"Only Miros could carry out the detailed analysis and determine whether it was due to the condition of the road, or technical failure on the part of the bus," Kong said, according to the official news agency Bernama. Kuala Lumpur, Tuesday, AFP