At least 15 people were killed when a bus carrying Thai tourists overturned on a highway after a trip to Malaysia's cameron highlands, police and reports said Monday.
"It appears that more than 15 people have been killed in the bus accident but we won't know the exact figure until the search and rescue operations are over," said Zakaria Yusof, acting police chief in Perak state.
"The bus was filled with Thai tourists," he told AFP, but was not able to confirm whether all the dead were Thai nationals. "We will know more when we have finished our operations."
The Star daily said the bus hit a divider and overturned as it travelled away from the cameron highlands, one of Malaysia's top tourist destinations.
Bus crashes are relatively common in Malaysia, often involving interstate buses, and accompanied by revelations that drivers were unlicensed, speeding or under the influence of drugs to keep themselves awake.
Last week, four prison officers were killed when a bus lost control and plunged into a ravine after travelling from a sports tournament.
In October a collision involving two buses, a van and three cars claimed 13 lives on the nation's main North-South highway.
And a year ago, 10 people were killed when a double-decker bus
struck a road divider in northern Ipoh state.