A group of Chinese tourists were injured when their minibus crashed while turning a sharp curve in Thailand.

The bus had fetched the holidaymakers from a hotel in Phuket to take them to a pier for a boat trip to the Similan Islands in Phang Nga province on January 16.

However, while navigating the Thep Kasattri Road, the vehicle lost control and overturned at a sharp bend.

Police Lieutenant Colonel Akaraphon Sriwilai of the Tha Chatchai Police Station said cops received a report at 7:50 am.

They arrived at the scene, where the white Hino minibus was blocking one lane of the two-lane road after crashing into the median guardrail.

Officers said 17 Chinese tourists - including a child - suffered minor injuries. Three Thai natives on the bus were also lightly wounded. They were taken to the Thalang Hospital for treatment.

The bus driver Suwan Promsarn, 39, said he swerved to avoid a truck before losing control of the bus.

Phuket tourist police chief Police Colonel Ekchai Siri said the Chinese consulate in Phuket has been informed to assist the tourists.

Police said they were investigating the accident and questioning the driver.

Thailand has one of the world's worst road safety records. Ministers have set the goal of reducing fatalities from 32.7 deaths per 100,000 people to 12 per 100,000 people by the year 2027.

However, a lack of road safety education in schools along with notoriously easy driving tests, police failures to enforce road laws, and chronic under-investment in infrastructure, all appear to hamper the efforts.