Malaysia tourist bus crashes, killing 26

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia // A double-decker bus carrying Thai tourists overturned on a Malaysian highway on Monday, killing 26 people on their way back from a highland resort, an official said.

The tourists were heading to Kuala Lumpur after a weekend trip to the popular Cameron Highlands holiday destination in central Malaysia when their bus spun out of control and crashed into a road divider Monday morning, a district police official said.

The bus then flipped over and landed beside a rocky slope, he said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to make public statements.

The accident may have been caused by speeding or brake failure, the official said.

Rescuers recovered 22 bodies, while another four people died on the way to a hospital, he said. About a dozen other passengers were wounded.

It was one of Malaysia's worst road accidents in recent years.

Malaysian highways have a speed limit of 110 kilometres per hour, but speeding is common and many drivers often do not abide by safety procedures. Many bus accidents have been blamed on companies that hire poorly trained or unlicensed drivers.

Those killed in Monday's crash included three Malaysians - the bus driver, his assistant and a tour guide, the official said. About 100 police and fire department personnel were deployed to the site and sealed off the road.