An out-of-control bus crashed into a tree and killed five passengers on New Year's Day in Thailand.

The coach was carrying dozens of passengers when it veered off the road and slammed into a tree along Highway 41 in Surat Thani province on January 1.

A police spokesman said they received a report at 7:30 pm in the Chaiya district. Rescuers, medics, and cops were dispatched to the scene, where the bus was lying on its side on the grassy median strip.

Officials said five people were killed. They were Sudawadee Towsi, 54, Sutham Towsi, 61, Sunthorn Promnit, 74, Natchanok Somrang, 58, and a still-unidentified woman.

Thirty other people were injured, three of them severely. They were taken to the Chaiya and Tha Chang Hospitals for treatment.

Authorities said the bus was rented to take the tourists from Songkhla province to Samut Sakhon province.

One passenger said: 'When we arrived at the scene of the accident, we heard a noise like the bus had hit a hole before it skidded into the median strip and hit several trees.'

Authorities said the bus was travelling at 50 miles per hour and had been overtaking another car when the incident occurred. The crash site was an area under construction to improve the road surface, they added.

Deputy Surat Thani Governor Bundarn Sathirachawan said: 'The road was under renovation and lacked traffic lines. There were warning signs instead. No damage, potholes, or abnormal slopes were found at the scene. Forensic police and relevant organisations are gathering evidence to determine the cause of the accident.'

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.