Bangkok: A tour bus carrying elderly Buddhist devotees plunged into a ravine in northern Thailand on Wednesday, leaving at least 20 people dead and 16 injured, police said.
The victims were returning from a religious ceremony when the vehicle left the road, Police Colonel Somdet Tosporn told by telephone from Lampang province.
"The bus fell into a ravine about 10 metres deep," he said. "I can`t confirm the cause but the road is curvy."
No foreigners were believed to be on board.
Deadly road accidents are common in Thailand.
A recent report by the World Health Organisation said the country saw some 38.1 road deaths per 100,000 of population, compared to an average of 18.5 in Southeast Asia as a whole.
Earlier this month 16 people, including a pregnant woman, were killed when the truck they were travelling in slammed into a tree in northeast Thailand.
In July at least 19 people were killed when a double-decker coach collided with a truck in central Thailand and burst into flames.
In April at least five people were killed, including a seven-month-old baby, and 53 were injured when a Thai tour bus plummeted off a hillside in the northern province of Phitsanulok after its brakes failed.
