9 Feared Dead As Plane Carrying Tourists Bursts Into Flames

• A Cessna 208B Grand Caravan was heading to Trat province when it crashed at 3.18pm on Thursday, August 22
• Police reports indicate there were seven passengers and two crews on board when the small plane crashed
• Early reports suggested that among those missing was a European family who were visiting Thailand

Amos Khaemba, a journalist at TUKO.co.ke, brings over three years of experience covering politics and current affairs in Kenya.

At least nine people, including two pilots, are feared dead after a private plane crashed into a swamp in Thailand.

Where was the plane flying to before the crash

According to local media reports, the small plane was flying from Bangkok airport to a southwestern coastal region known for its beaches.

Seven tourists were travelling in a Cessna 208B Grand Caravan to the Trat province when the crash occurred.

Preliminary reports indicate the plane crashed into a mangrove forest in Chachoengsao at 3.18pm before bursting into flames.

The rescue team is already on the site searching for the missing passengers and the crew.

What eyewitnesses in the Thailand plane crash said

The wreckage of the small plane has been found in the mud in a mangrove forest at the site of the accident; women’s clothes and a photo of three foreign women were found at the site.

A resident of the area said he heard a loud explosion before running to the crash site, where he discovered fragments of the plane.

"There were explosions in the air. Before the plane fell, the sound was loud, then the plane fell to the ground. After that, I ran to see the scene. Pieces of the plane had been scattered around, including near a house," Ang Trasawat said.

Another witness said the small plane descended towards the field before crashing into the swamp.

"Then the plane descended towards the fields and landed in the mangrove forest. It was a small white plane with two wings. After the crash, there was a loud explosion," he said.

How many people died in Nepal plane crash?

Elsewhere, 18 people died in a plane crash at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, Nepal.

The deceased included technical staff members of Saurya Airlines and two crew members who were on a flight test.

The plane came down and was engulfed in flames, causing the sudden demise of the passengers who were headed to Pokhara.

Preliminary reports indicated that only the pilot of the ill-fated chopper survived and was rushed to the hospital for urgent medical care.

Proofreading by Otukho Jackson, a multimedia journalist and copy editor at TUKO.co.ke