Plane carrying 9 people crashes in forest near Thailand’s capital

By Kocha Olarn and Jessie Yeung, CNN, Aug.23: A plane carrying nine people crashed near the Thai capital Bangkok on Thursday, prompting a massive search operation in which workers trudged across mud and dug through the thick cover of mangrove trees late into the night.

Two Thai pilots, along with five Chinese and two Thai passengers on board are believed to have been killed, according to authorities, as they investigate the crash.

The small aircraft departed from Bangkok’s main international airport at 2:46 p.m. local time, headed to Trat airport in the country’s east, according to the Chachoengsao provincial office of the government’s public relations department.

It lost contact about 10 minutes into the flight, the office said in a statement.

Residents of Chachoengsao’s Bang Pakong district described seeing the plane fall from the sky and “explode loudly” upon impact, with debris damaging nearby homes.

“I was sitting in front of my house. The plane flew over my house with a loud engine sound. Just seconds after that it crashed just here, with a loud crash,” one resident told officials, in a video shared by the provincial office.

The cause of the crash is not yet clear.

Aircraft wreckage is seen at the crash site in Chachoengsao province, Thailand, on August 22, 2024. Chachoengsao's Public Relations Department/AP

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, the provincial office said.

But the search was delayed by several hours due to logistical difficulties, it said. The crash took place in a mangrove forest, where the ground was wet due to overspill from a nearby river.

Photos and videos released by the office show large crowds of rescue workers and emergency staff on site, wearing headlamps as night fell and sifting through wreckage – including suitcases and open bags. Large excavators dug through the mud and mangrove trees, with some workers standing in knee-deep ponds to fish out debris.

The river’s high tide made the search even more challenging, with rescue teams having to pump out water and build embankments to prevent more water from flowing in, the provincial office said. The search was paused at 2 a.m., and resumed on Friday morning.

Authorities will analyze the aircraft debris to determine the cause of the crash, the office said – adding that the plane did not have a black box, and had communicated directly with air traffic control.

This story has been updated with additional information.