Thailand bus crash kills 14, injures more than 30

A bus crash in western Thailand has killed 14 people and injured more than 30 others, officials said.

The accident occurred in Prachuap Khiri Khan province as the bus was travelling from the capital, Bangkok, to Songkhla province in the deep south.

It was carrying 49 people when it ran off the road and hit a tree near Hat Wanakorn National Park, a local police official said.

Prachuap Khiri Khan province is located on a coastal stretch between the Gulf of Thailand and Myanmar.

"We presume the driver might have fallen asleep," said Weerapat Ketesa, the superintendent of the Huay Yang Police Station, adding that officials were waiting for the result of a blood test on the driver, who survived the accident.

Police were still investigating what caused the crash, he added.

Most victims were Thai and a few were Burmese, Weerapat said.

Some 35 people were being treated for injuries at local hospitals, according to the Sawang Rungrueang Rescue Foundation.