Bangkok: A small police plane crashed near the shore of Thailand’s resort town of Hua Hin on Friday morning, killing six people, the Thai police said.
The Thai national police said on its social media page that the aircraft of the police aviation division crashed into the sea off Cha-am District, Phetchaburi Province shortly after taking off from the nearby Hua Hin airport, with all six on board killed.
The police said the accident took place when the plane was conducting a test flight for parachute training. All six people on board were police officers. Five died at the scene and one died later at a hospital, Xinhua news agency reported.
Video footage showed the plane nosedive into the sea. Initial investigations suggest that the engine malfunctioned shortly after takeoff. The police said the cause of the accident will be investigated.
The police emergency centre of Phetchaburi province said that it received notifications of a plane plunging into the sea just near a local resort at about 8:15 a.m.
Pol Lt Gen Archayon Kraithong, spokesman for the Royal Thai Police, said the incident happened during a test flight operation in preparation for a parachute training drill in Hua Hin.
The victims were identified as Pol Col Prathan Khiewkham, Pol Lt Col Panthep Maneewachirangkul and Pol Capt Chaturawong Wattanapaisarn, along with aircraft engineer Pol Lt Thanawat Mekprasert and mechanics Pol L/Cpl Jeerawat Maksakha and Pol Sgt Maj Prawat Pholhongsa, the Bangkok Post reported.
Authorities have not confirmed the aircraft model, but images from the scene suggest it was a Viking DHC-6 Twin Otter. The crash occurred in the Hua Hin district, with the aircraft landing in the sea roughly 100 metres from shore. Photos reveal the plane partially submerged and broken in two.
The test flight was part of preparations for a parachute training exercise in the area. Officials from the public relations department of Prachuab Kiri Khan province confirmed the location of the crash. Further details about the cause of the accident and the condition of the crew were not immediately released.
Emergency responders and investigators are on-site assessing the situation and collecting evidence to determine the cause of the crash.
(IANS)
