Originally published on October 24, 2013

A bus crash down a ravine in mountainous northern Thailand on Wednesday killed 21 and injured 18.

Onboard the bus were elderly worshippers returning from a Buddhist Kathin ceremony in Chiang Rai. The was passing through the Wang Nuea district of the mountainous Lampang province, en route to Chiang Mai.

At around 18:30, the bus toppled into a 30-metre ravine near the Than Thong waterfall on the Phayao Wang Nura Road, likely due to failed brakes.

"I can't confirm the cause, but the road is curvy," Police Colonel Somdet Tosporn told AFP from Lampang.

17 of the 21 death casualties died on the scene, many of whom are women.

Rescue from the dark, sloped ravine was challenging, especially given the lack of mobile phone reception in the mountain area.

The bus driver was among the injured. He is facing charges of reckless driving, and may be sentenced up to 10 years in jail.

Kathin is a traditional Buddhist festival celebrated by villages in northeastern Thailand and in Laos during the eleventh month of the Thai lunar calendar. Worshippers go to local temples to make offerings and for prayers.

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