BANGKOK - Five Chinese nationals were confirmed dead in a small plane crash in Thailand's Eastern province of Chachoengsao on Thursday, the Chinese embassy in Thailand told Xinhua, citing Thai authorities.
A search and rescue operation is underway after the charter flight carrying two pilots and nine passengers on board crashed into a mangrove forest at around 3:10 pm local time while traveling to the eastern coastal province of Trat, said Chachoengsao Governor Chonlatee Yangtrong.
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According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand, the Cessna Caravan flight TFT 209 operated by Thai Flying Service lost contact with air traffic control center and disappeared from radar after departing from Suvarnabhumi Airport in the capital Bangkok.
Five tourists from China and four Thais, including the two pilots, were on the Cessna Caravan C208B aircraft that went down 100 km southeast of Bangkok, 11 minutes after losing contact with ground control following take-off.
"We found many human remains," the governor told reporters late on Thursday, adding that the muddy terrain complicated the task of searchers.
"The plane dropped vertically, so we have to dig 10m (33 ft) into the ground."
Photographs of the site show aircraft debris scattered over a forested, boggy area, while rescue workers dig with hoes and use a pump to extract water from some areas, while police forensic units seek to recover and reassemble the bodies.
The plane, operating flight TFT209 headed for the eastern province of Trat, had taken off from the Suvarnabhumi airport in the capital on Thursday afternoon.
With Reuters inputs
