AP cited information from the Thai civil aviation authority as saying that a small passenger plane on a domestic flight in this country crashed on the afternoon of August 22, not long after taking off from the main airport in the capital Bangkok. . All 9 people on the plane are believed to have died.
Thai media reported that rescue workers found no survivors at the crash site in a mangrove swamp in Chachoengsao province, about 40 km from the airport. On the plane, there were 7 passengers and 2 pilots.
A spokesman for the Chachoengsao provincial government said that after about an hour of searching, rescuers found body parts in difficult, swampy terrain.
The identities of those on the plane are currently unknown. However, the spokesman said they included 5 Chinese tourists from Hong Kong (China), 2 female Thai crew members and 2 Thai pilots.
The cause of the accident is still unknown.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand said that the Cessna Caravan C208B turboprop aircraft operated by the Thai Flight Services Company left Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi airport at 2:46 p.m. on August 22, local time.
Air traffic control lost contact when the plane was about 35 kilometers southeast of the airport.
The plane was en route to Trat, a coastal province about 275 km southeast of the Thai capital.
Video from the scene shows debris of the plane lying underwater in the middle of a forest. A rescuer can be seen chest-deep in muddy water.
A spokesman for Chachoengsao province said further searches were slow because it was dark and high tides caused water to flood the area where the plane crashed .
