A tour bus carrying 21 people overturned while descending from Genting Highlands in the Malaysia’s Pahang state on Saturday morning, resulting in the deaths of two Chinese nationals on board.
The Bentong Fire and Rescue Department said the accident occurred at 11am.
The victims, later identified by police as Zhang Ping, 58, and Wang Shuhong, 49, both suffered head injuries.
“Their bodies were sent to Bentong Hospital, Pahang,” Pahang Fire and Rescue Department director Dr Wan Mohamad Zaidi Wan Isa said.
Three among the 21 passengers and driver were understood to be locals, while the other 18 were Chinese nationals: seven women and 11 men.
Earlier, a 21-second video showing the crashed bus with several emergency responders already at the scene went viral on social media.
Genting Malaysia Berhad said in a statement that the bus, owned by a third-party operator, was carrying 18 tourists from Yunnan province, China, and was descending from Genting Highlands.
“Our deepest condolences go out to the families and friends of the deceased. We wish a swift and full recovery to those injured,” it said.
“We will provide further updates as more information becomes available.”
Genting Highlands is a popular entertainment and tourist destination, which has both indoor and outdoor theme parks, casinos, as well as shopping centres.
Bernama news agency later reported that the bus driver, 32, did not have a licence and had 27 previous summonses for various traffic offences.
