Hanoi - Vietnamese police said Tuesday the driver of a tour bus that plunged into a ravine on Friday, killing 9 Russians and one Vietnamese, will face up to 15 years in jail for speeding.

"The bus driver will be prosecuted for driving very carelessly and exceeding the speed limit," said Lt Col Nguyen Dac Minh, head of the Binh Thuan Provincial Police's Department of Social Order Crime Investigations.

Minh said the driver, who was severely injured in the accident, had blamed a brake malfunction, but investigators found the bus's brakes in working order.

He said skid marks on the road from the driver's attempt to brake showed the bus had been traveling over the speed limit.

Police did not test the driver's breath for alcohol because they could not identify him quickly enough among those injured in the accident.

The accident occurred late Friday as the bus, carrying 24 Russian tourists and three Vietnamese, was returning from the hill resort city of Dalat to the seaside town of Mui Ne.

An emergency rescue aircraft sent by the Russian government to bring the dead and injured back to Russia was scheduled to arrive in Vietnam on Tuesday.

Under Article 202 of Vietnam's criminal code, drivers who violate road safety regulations and cause severe accidents can face between seven and 15 years in prison. (dpa)