A plane carrying nine people crashed near Bangkok on Thursday, leading to an extensive search operation where workers navigated through mud and dense mangrove trees late into the night.
The Cessna Caravan C208B turboprop plane, carrying two Thai pilots, five Chinese passengers, and two Thai passengers, is believed to have left no survivors.
Authorities are currently investigating the cause of the crash.
The aircraft took off from Bangkok’s main international airport at 2:46 p.m. local time, bound for an airport in eastern Trat province.
However, it lost contact just 10 minutes into the flight, according to a statement from the Chachoengsao provincial office of the government’s public relations department.
Residents in Chachoengsao’s Bang Pakong district reported seeing the plane fall from the sky and hearing a “loud explosion” upon impact, with debris damaging nearby homes.
One resident recounted, “I was sitting in front of my house. The plane flew over with a loud engine sound, and just seconds later, it crashed here with a loud crash,” as shared in a video by the provincial office.
Soneva Kiri, a luxury resort on Koh Kood island, confirmed that the two Thai passengers were its employees.
The resort’s guests typically arrive by private plane at the nearby airport and then take a speedboat to the island. The resort stated that it is fully cooperating with authorities in the ongoing investigation.
The crash site, located in a mangrove forest with wet ground due to a nearby river’s overflow, posed significant challenges for the search and rescue teams.
Parts of the aircraft were found scattered in the mud, along with nearly 70 body parts, which have been sent to a police hospital for identification.
Photos and videos released by the provincial office show large crowds of rescue workers and emergency personnel at the site, using headlamps as they sifted through the wreckage, including suitcases and open bags.
Large excavators were deployed to dig through the mud and mangrove trees, with some workers wading through knee-deep ponds to retrieve debris.
The river’s high tide complicated the search further, forcing teams to pump out water and build embankments to prevent additional flooding. The search was paused at 2 a.m. and resumed on Friday morning.
Authorities are analyzing the aircraft debris to determine the cause of the crash. The provincial office noted that the plane did not have a black box and had been communicating directly with air traffic control.
Source-CNN
