At least 18 people were killed and 23 injured in eastern Thailand on Wednesday after the brakes failed on a tour bus and it rolled upside down into a ditch, police said.

BANGKOK (AP) — A chartered bus overturned in eastern Thailand early Wednesday morning, killing 18 people and injuring 31, officials said. The accident occurred in Prachinburi province during an overnight journey from northern Thailand to coastal Rayong province for a municipal study tour.

A bus crashed and killed 18 people in Thailand on Wednesday after the brakes apparently failed as it went down a hill, police said.

Road accidents and fatalities are common in Thailand due to weak enforcement of vehicle safety standards and poorly maintained roads. The Southeast Asian nation ranked ninth out o