The accident, which happened around 8pm, was the third major crash in the past two months of a bus carrying Chinese tourists on the same road.

Other vehicles, including a tuk tuk and motorbike, were involved in the crash but incurred less damage. The motorcycle driver suffered head injuries and was taken to hospital.

The bus was perched on the side of the hill after crashing through the side rails. Only a main water pipe and the bus’s rear wheels stopped it from careering over the side. The crash caused massive traffic jams leading in to and out of Patong.

There were 21 Chinese tourists on the bus, with four people injured and many others transported to hospital for observation. The bus was registered in Nakhon Si Thammarat. The driver was claiming that the bus suffered brake failure as it neared the bottom of the hill.

In July a bus flipped over onto its side at the bottom of the hill, killing two passengers and putting another 25 in hospital.

Phuket’s governor had made promises to reduce accidents on the busy and dangerous hill road, including an inspection office for all buses and trucks at the bottom of the hill in Kathu. To date, none of proposed actions have been implemented.