KUALA LUMPUR, June 29 — The 32-year-old driver of a tour bus which crashed on the way down from Genting Highlands has 27 previous summonses,the police said today.

Bentong district police chief Superintendent Zaiham Mohd Kahar confirmed that the Bentong district police headquarters had received preliminary information about the accident where the bus skidded and hit a road divider at KM16.5 of the road from Genting Highlands heading towards Kuala Lumpur.

"The police have conducted checks on the 32-year-old bus driver and found that there were 27 past summonses which involve various offences including not owning a driving licence,” he said in a statement, but did not elaborate on the nature of the other offences.

Zaiham said the preliminary information received by police was that there were 21 victims in the accident, namely the Malaysian bus driver, a Malaysian assistant, a Malaysian tour guide and 18 passengers who are all foreigners.

He said all 21 victims were successfully taken out from the bus, with 13 brought to Hospital Kuala Lumpur and six brought to Hospital Bentong.

He said two male passengers who are Chinese nationals — Zhang Ping, 58, and Wang Shuhong, 49 — died at the scene of the accident, and have been sent to Hospital Bentong for an autopsy.

Zaiham urged anyone who had seen the accident to step forward to help in investigations.

Earlier today, Pahang Fire and Rescue Department’s Assistant Director of Operations Ismail Abdul Ghani said an emergency call was received at 10.43am, and that firefighters and rescuers were dispatched to the location where they found two passengers trapped inside the bus and 19 others evacuated from the bus.

He had also said the exact cause of the incident is still under investigation.

Earlier today, Pahang Fire and Rescue Department director Datuk Wan Mohamad Zaidi Wan Isa told national news agency Bernama that both male victims who were killed in the accident had suffered head injuries and that their bodies were sent to Hospital Bentong.