A tour bus carrying elderly Buddhist devotees has plunged into a ravine in northern Thailand, leaving at least 20 people dead and 16 injured.
The victims were returning from a religious ceremony on Wednesday when the vehicle left the road, Police Colonel Somdet Tosporn told AFP by telephone from Lampang province.
"The bus fell into a ravine about 10 metres (33 feet) deep," he said.
"I can't confirm the cause, but the road is curvy."
No foreigners were believed to be on board.
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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.
And 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.
