- Locals reported hearing loud explosions and seeing the plane descend before it crashed
- Authorities have cordoned off the area due to an oil leak
- Personal items were discovered at the crash site
Reports indicate that seven tourists are feared dead following a tragic crash of a private aircraft in Thailand on Thursday.
The plane, en route from Bangkok to Trat province in the southwest, went down in a swampy area in Chachoengsao province and burst into flames.
The Cessna 208B Grand-Caravan plummeted into a mangrove forest around 3:30 PM. According to the Bangkok Post, nine people were on board the aircraft at the time of the incident.
Rescue teams have located the plane’s wreckage in the muddy forest, where personal items such as women’s clothing and a photo of three foreign women were discovered. Authorities are actively searching for the missing pilots and passengers.
Photographs from the scene depict the wreckage scattered across the forest floor, with a large search team working around a significant impact crater.
Local resident Ang Trasawat reported hearing a loud explosion before running to the crash site, where he found debris strewn about, including near nearby homes.
Another witness, Preecha Boontham, 56, described hearing the plane accelerate noisily before descending into the mangrove forest, where it exploded upon impact.
Police Lieutenant Warayut Chanwichumet, Deputy Chief of Investigation at Bang Pakong District station, confirmed that authorities and paramedics were on-site. He noted that the area has been cordoned off to prevent further accidents due to an oil leak from the plane. The search efforts are ongoing, with a focus on finding the missing individuals and reviewing flight records to gather more details about the aircraft and its passengers.
