At least 15 people were killed when a bus carrying teachers and schoolgirls crashed into an 18-wheel truck in Thailand early on Friday, injuring about 44 others, police said.
The brakes on the bus were thought to have failed as it came down a hill and smashed into the truck about 5 am local time in Prachinburi province, about 150 kilometres north-east of Bangkok, Police Lieutenant Jittigarn Klomlee said.
Most of the dead were girls, with two boys also reported killed. The victims were all students aged 10 to 14, police confirmed.
The driver of the bus fled the scene and police were looking for him.
The bus was carrying the pupils and teachers to the beach resort town of Pattaya for an outdoor education trip.