A Sri Lankan bus carrying local tourists visiting lush tea plantation hill towns plunged 300 meters, with the crash causing the death of more than 15 people.

The accident took place on Thursday night in the mountainous Ella region, which is about 130km east of the capital. Sixteen other people were reportedly on board who were injured.

The group was believed to be returning home after the holidays in the cooler hills when the bus hit another vehicle and crashed through the guardrails and then shot over the side.

The accident is the country’s worst since May, when 23 passengers died in the bus crash in Kotmale. The island’s winding roads were considered to be amongst the most dangerous in the world. Sri Lanka is a nation of 22 million people, and according to records, an average of 3000 people die every year.

Local television showed footage of the severely damaged bus lying at the bottom of the precipice, and rescue crews, including soldiers, police officers, and volunteers, were involved in removing the injured throughout the night in the harsh terrain.

Deadly bus accidents are common in Sri Lanka, especially in the mountainous regions, often due to reckless driving and poorly maintained and narrow roads.