ALL 17 tourist passengers travelling on a tour bus that flipped over as it attempted a sharp left turn at Phuket City's Tesco-Lotus intersection last night are members of one Chinese family.

Three generations of the family, from Shanghai, had been enjoying their five-day break on Phuket until the two-level bus crashed on its side at the landmark Phuket intersection, bringing ambulances from three hospitals.

Remarkably, injuries were limited, with three members of the family still in hospital today. Still in International Hospital Phuket today was an adult male, who suffered broken ribs. But he was shifted out of the intensive care unit.

Two other family members, a child and an elderly person, are recovering in Bangkok Hospital Phuket. Nurses and doctors from Vachira Hospital Phuket, Phuket's largest public hospital, were also quickly on the scene of last night's crash.

Tourism Authority of Thailand Phuket regional director Bangornrat Shinaprayoon visited the family today at the hospitals and expressed regret that the crash had occurred on Phuket.

She said that the family had timed their visit together to Phuket so that they could be back in Shanghai for Chinese New Year, which begins on February 3.

Khun Bangornrat said that every effort was being made to get the family back to Shanghai before Thursday. A flight could be available as early as tomorrow.

The man with the broken ribs may have to wait a few days before recovering sufficiently to fly home. The family was returning to accommodation in Phuket City after a day's outing to Phang Nga, the neighboring province to the north.

Police are continuing their investigation into the crash, with one officer saying that the driver, who was slightly injured, may face a charge of reckless driving.

The man, who is not from Phuket, told officers he could not control the bus and swung it left sharply at the intersection to avoid crashing into other vehicles. He is to be interviewed again by Phuket City police on Tuesday.

The Tesco-Lotus intersection has developed a reputation as one of Phuket's most dangerous, with trucks and buses sometimes struggling to pull up as vehicles head downhill to face stop lights.