The Terengganu fire and rescue department said that it had received a distress call at 5.16am and sent a team to the scene.

The department said the bus, carrying 30 passengers, had lost control before it veered into the opposite lane and landed on its side.

Meanwhile, Dungun district police chief Baharuddin Abdullah identified the two victims as Tan Poh Hwa, a woman passenger aged 42, and a male passenger, Choo Chia Tan, 44.

He added that Tan, a manager at a Honda factory, died at the scene, while Choo, who sustained severe injuries to his chest, died while receiving treatment at Hospital Dungun.

“Preliminary investigations found that the bus carrying 30 passengers was heading from Tampin, Negeri Sembilan to Jeti Taman Tamadun Islam, Kuala Terengganu to go to Pulau Redang.

“The accident is believed to have occurred after the bus lost control and skidded to the right and hit the guard rail before entering the opposite lane,” Baharuddin said when contacted today.

Baharudin said the other injured victims had been taken to Hospital Hulu Terengganu and Hospital Dungun for treatment.

He added that urine and blood samples of the 26-year-old bus driver will be taken for screening.

“At the time of the incident, the weather was good, the road was dry, but it was still dark,” he said.