Bangkok: A bus packed with passengers heading to a funeral tumbled down a mountain today in western Thailand, killing nine people and injuring 26 others, police said.

The accident occurred after the driver lost control of the bus in Kanchanaburi province, about 210 km west of the capital, Bangkok, said police Gen Raewat Klinkaeson.

The driver then fled the scene, he said. "It is a steep path down and we are investigating if the accident occurred because the brakes failed or if the driver was negligent," he said, adding that authorities are looking for the driver for further investigation.

About 40 passengers from Pathum Thani province near Bangkok were on their way to a funeral of a respected abbot in Sangklaburi district when the accident occurred, he said.

Source : PTI