At least three people were killed and 44 more were injured when a bus crashed in western Thailand on Tuesday night.

The bus was carrying migrant workers from neighbouring Myanmar when it lost control on a steep downhill bend in Tak province at around 9 pm local time.

The vehicle ploughed through a road barrier, toppled over, and landed in a roadside ditch in the Mueang district.

Firemen who arrived at the scene used cutting equipment to free a man and woman who were trapped in the wreckage. The driver and two other passengers were pronounced dead at the scene.

Police Colonel Likitpong Srinarang, Superintendent of Mae Tho district police station, said the injured workers were taken to a hospital for treatment.

He said: 'The scene of the accident was a steep downhill road and the bus was found on the wrong side of the road. It was in the water channel and leaning against the hillside.

'Some of the people inside were trapped. The victims were crushed in their seats. Many of the injured people were inside the wreckage calling for help.'

Officers are now investigating the crash and checking the site to determine what had caused the accident. They added the driver may have been unfamiliar with the route, as survivors had told them he kept applying the brakes while travelling downhill.