Fourty-three passengers escaped unhurt after the express bus they were in collided with a lorry before plunging into a ravine at Km73.5 of Jalan Kuala Terengganu-Kuantan, near the Dungun Bridge here early Saturday morning.

The vegetable-laden lorry was believed to have lost control and entered the opposite lane in the 3.30am incident.

According to a police spokesperson, the bus driver attempted to avoid the right lane but could not do so in time.

As a result of the collision, he said the double decker bus driven by Tuan Adnan Tuan Aluwi, 48, was flung into a nearby ravine.

The lorry driven by Zaidi Awang Haman, 39, from Kelantan, was on its way to send vegetables to Dungun while express bus was heading to Kuala Terengganu from Kuala Lumpur.

The lorry attendant, Noor Hisham Zali, sustained critical injuries and was sent to the Sultanah Nur Zahirah Hospital (HSNZ) in Kuala Terengganu, while four passengers and the bus driver got away with very minor injuries.

Meanwhile, Dungun Police Chief Supt Dahlan Mohd Noor confirmed the incident when contacted.