At least 18 people have died and 31 are injured after a tour bus fell down a ditch in eastern Thailand, according to multiple reports.
The brakes failed on a bus carrying 49 people, causing it to overturn down a highway section in Prachinburi province, 96 miles of east of Bangkok, at around 4:00 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 26, Reuters and local outlet Nation Thailand reported.
Officials reported that 17 people died at the scene. The remaining injured were sent to Na Di Hospital and Kabin Buri Hospital, where another victim was later pronounced dead, according to reports.
Col. Sophon Phramaneehe said, per Reuters, “It was a downhill road and the brakes failed, and the driver lost control of the vehicle before it overturned.”
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Scene of the bus crash in Prachinburi province, Thailand, on Feb. 26.
Xinhua/Shutterstock
The tour bus was one of three buses that departed from Bueng Kan province at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 25, on a study trip to Rayong. The trip was organized by Tambon Porn Charoen Municipality mayor, Phairat Wutthisarn, who traveled in one of the buses, per Nation Thailand.
Wutthisarn said he was “deeply shaken” by the incident and would provide full support to those affected, the outlet reported.
A rescue worker at the site of a bus crash that killed 18 people in Prachinburi province, east of Bangkok, on Feb. 26.
AFPTV/Sue Prachinburi/AFP via Getty
Photos published by Nation Thailand of the scene show emergency responders standing by the bus wreckage, seen upside down on the highway road, and tending to the victims.
The outlet reported that a passenger recalled being woken up by the crash and that “many people in the vehicle (were) thrown in different directions.” He added that the passengers all lived close by to each other.
Baggage of the passengers involved in the Thailand bus crash.
Xinhua/Shutterstock
The bus driver has been charged with reckless driving causing death and injury, National Thailand reported. He allegedly told police in hospital that “he had stopped for a rest in Nakhon Ratchasima’s Pak Thong Chai district but had failed to stop at the required rest area on Khao Thone Mountain,” per the outlet.
Na Di district chief Somjai Phutthasena said there is a possibility of more fatalities and that officials are still searching for passengers, per National Thailand.
Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra said in a statement on Facebook, “I’d like to express my deepest condolences to the families of the deceased and injured.”
“I have instructed the Ministry of Transport to investigate such incidents and if there is any violation of vehicles that do not exceed the standard or negligent access of vehicles, I request legal proceedings to continue,” he added.
PEOPLE has contacted Thailand Police for comment.
GIPHY App Key not set. Please check settings