Thai jet crashed - Phuket

[short 215]

Jet in Thailand Crashes, 100 Feared Dead

40 minutes ago

 

BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) — A passenger plane heading to one of Thailand's leading tourist destinations crashed Sunday as it tried to land in heavy rain and was engulfed in flames. A regional official said as many as 100 people were feared dead.

 

Worapot Ratthaseema, deputy governor of Thailand's Phuket island, said that as many as 100 were dead, based on assessments that as few as 20 passengers made it of the wreck alive.

 

"I believe 90 percent or about 100 passengers are fear dead," Worapot said, adding that Phuket airport in southern Thailand had been temporarily closed following the crash of the One-Two-GO jet.

 

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

 

BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) — A One-To-Go Airlines jet crashed and was engulfed in flames as it attempted to land in heavy rain at the Phuket airport in southern Thailand on Sunday, authorities said.

 

Maj. Gen. Deecha Butnamphet, police chief in Phuket, said on local television station TITV that "we believe that there are many people who are dead. We are taking the dead and injured out from the scene.

 

"The airplane is completely destroyed and inflamed," he said.

 

It wasn't immediately known how many people were on board, though TITV said without citing sources that 123 mostly foreign tourists were the passengers, which was traveling from Bangkok to Phuket, a popular resort area for tourists.

 

TITV reported 60 dead, but Chaisak Angsuwan, director general of the Air Transport Authority of Thailand, could not confirm that.

 

Angsuwan told The Associated Press by telephone he believes "there are people dead, but the number is still unclear."

 

Earlier, Angsuwan had told TITV that there was heavy rain when One-To-Go airlines flight OG269 from Bangkok to Phuket attempted to make a landing. One-To-Go, a budget airline, is owned Orient Thai Airways.

 

"The visibility was poor as the pilot attempted to land. He decided to make a go-around but the plane lost balance and crashed. It was torn into two parts," he said.

[joekicker 53]

Thanks so much for posting this. The only other way we could know this would be the active thread that started two hours ago.

 

Jeez.

[Cennn3 0]

The only other way we could know this would be the active thread that started two hours ago.

 

Jeez.

 

Not if you are a guest in the public forum.

[glassdude007 7]

from cnn.....

very sad story.....

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/09/1...rash/index.html

[Eneukman 1]

According to the BBC's web-site, 42 people have been taken to hospital.

 

Whilst I was having my dinner, the waiter was watching one of the Thai television channels and said that 73 people are known to have died in the crash. This figure may yet rise.

 

Alan

[joekicker 53]

Not if you are a guest in the public forum.

 

Fair enough, I stand properly rebuked.