One tourist was killed and seven others injured when a car crashed into a minibus in Thailand.

Singaporean Renee Ho Jia Hui, 21, was driving a white Toyota Yaris with four others inside when she lost control on the Kata Hill on the island of Phuket in the early hours of Saturday morning.

Paramedics who arrived at the scene pronounced the driver dead. The four passengers, also from Singapore, were taken to hospital to be treated for their injuries.

They were named by police as Bryan Teo Li Yan, 30, Poh Mao Xin, 23, Eliana Pang Jing Ning, 21, and Ng Jia Xin, 22.

The The driver of the minibus and two Korean passengers were also injured in the crash.

Police Lieutenant Colonel Ekachai Siri, the Phuket Tourist Police Inspector, said the driver who died was not familiar with the roads.

He added: 'The area where the crash happened is on a steep curve.'

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.