Malaysia bus crash kills 15, including university students

At least 15 people were killed when a bus carrying students smashed into a minivan in northern Malaysia today. Photo / AFP

At least 15 people were killed when a bus carrying university students smashed into a minivan in northern Malaysia on Monday, local rescue services said.

Thirteen victims died at the scene near the Thailand border, on the busy East-West Highway, while two died in hospital.

Thirty-one others were injured.

“The bus overturned and the minivan slid into a ditch,” the Perak state disaster management authority said.

“Some victims managed to get out on their own, some victims were thrown out while others were still [trapped] in the bus,” the statement added.

The bus was carrying students from the Sultan Idris Education University, north of Kuala Lumpur, when it collided with the minivan at around 1am local time.

Rescue services said a hydraulic cutter was needed to rescue and retrieve some of the victims in the bus.

Malaysia has a high rate of traffic accidents, with the Star daily newspaper saying in March that a life was lost about every two hours on the country’s busy roads.

– Agence France-Presse