PHUKET: At least two people are dea

PHUKET: At least two people are dead and an unknown number injured after a bus crashed down Patong Hill on Phuket into a power pole this afternoon.

Russian tourists were believed to have been on the bus - including children.



Only motorcycles were being allowed to cross the hill in either direction late this afternoon as wrecked vehicles were being cleared.

First images from the scene soon after 3pm showed the bus badly damaged with dead or seriously injured inside. Other vehicles were crushed by the bus.

The crash came outside Wat Suwan Khiriwong - commonly known as Patong Temple - at the base of a steep slope where many buses have previously crashed into nearby homes and shops.

Cars, pickups and motorcycles appeared to have been shunted aside as the bus plunged downhill. At least one person appeared to be dead inside a battered vehicle.

Phuket provincial PR officer Sophon Keawkan said he believed there were two people killed in the crash. It is believed they were a Thai man and a foreign woman.

Others were ferried to Patong Hospital.

The spectacular crash came on the third day of the 'Seven Days of Danger' national road safety campaign for New Year in which two Phuket motorcyclists had already been killed in separate smashes in the early morning.

Motorists were being advised to take alternative routes between Patong and Phuket City on one of the busiest days on the roads for the year.