At least 27 people died and more than 20 others were injured when a bus careered off a hillside road in northern Thailand, local police reported on March 24.

The fatal accident occurred at 8:40 pm local time in the Mae Tho district of Tak province, which borders Myanmar.

Police captain Sittichai Panyasong said the vehicle’s brakes failed as it travelled downhill, leading to it crashing through a concrete barrier and falling into a 150 metre-deep ravine.

A spokesperson at a local hospital confirmed 27 people have died and over 20 are injured, including some children. Panyasong commented that there are 24 survivors, but many are severely wounded.

A recent report by the World Trade Organisation (WTO) indicated that Thailand has one of the highest rates of fatal traffic accidents in the world, roughly 60 percent of which are caused by human error.

The country recorded 38.1 road deaths per 100,000 people in 2010, behind only the Dominican Republic in the Caribbean and the South Pacific island of Niue.-VNA