BANGKOK - A Lao military plane crashed on Saturday killing five senior
officials on board including the defence minister of the secretive
communist country, Thai authorities said.
The group was believed to be travelling to an official ceremony in
the northeastern province of Xiangkhouang on an air force jet
manufactured by Ukraine's Antonov.
Lao Defence Minister Douangchay Phichit was among five senior
officials killed in the crash, the permanent secretary of the Thai
defence ministry, Nipat Thonglek, told AFP. He said that he had been informed of the deaths by a senior Lao
military official and would attend the defence minister's funeral on
behalf of Thailand.The foreign ministry in Bangkok said about 20 people were on board including the Vientiane governor and other prominent figures.
The official Lao news agency KPL confirmed the crash and said the authorities were trying to rescue survivors."The authority concern is now helping to rescue the survivors," it said in a brief English-language report.
"The cause of accident is under the investigation."
- The news agency showed pictures of the wreckage of the plane in the Lao jungle.
- Laos has had 30 fatal air accidents since the 1950s, according to the Aviation Safety Network.
Post a Comment