Dozens Killed In Thai Plane Crash
Posted September 16, 2007 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
A passenger plane trying to land in an intense rainstorm crashed Sunday on the Thai island of Phuket, killing dozens.
The McDonnell Douglas MD-82, carrying foreign tourists, split in two as it hit the ground and then went up in flames according to officials. The jet belonged to budget carrier One-To-Go and apparently had 123 passengers and five crew members on board, travelling to Phuket from Bangkok.
The death toll is believed to be at least 88. There are reportedly 42 survivors, including a woman from British Columbia.
“I saw passengers engulfed in fire as I stepped over them on way out of the plane,” survivor Parinwit Chusaeng described. “I was afraid that the airplane was going to explode so I ran away.”
Officials at the scene said it was too early to pinpoint a crash cause but said that the bad weather was likely a factor.
