Phuket, Thailand – Investigators searched the charred wreckage of a passenger flight today for clues to why it crashed in stormy weather on the resort island of Phuket, killing at least 91, including 55 foreign tourists.
Searchers found the plane’s two flight data recorders, or black boxes, but authorities said it was too early to say what caused Sunday’s crash. Transport Minister Theera Haocharoen said the black boxes would be sent to the United States for analysis.
Officials have said weather was likely a factor. The budget One-Two-Go Airlines flight was carrying 123 passengers and seven crew members from the capital Bangkok when it skidded off the runway in driving wind and rain. It then ran through a low retaining wall and split in two.
Survivors described their escape amid chaos and fire.
“As soon as we hit, everything went dark and everything fell,” said Mildred Furlong, 23, a waitress from British Columbia.
The plane started filling with smoke and fires broke out, she said.
A passenger in front of her caught fire, while one in the back kicked out a window.
Dalad Tantiprasongchai, daughter of the chairman of Orient-Thai Airlines, which owns One-Two-Go, said 55 foreigners and 36 Thais were among the dead. She could not provide details of nationalities, other than to say they came from as many as 10 countries.
The deputy governor of Phuket province, Worapot Ratthaseema, said Sunday that some of the victims were from France, Germany, Israel, Australia and Britain.
Israel’s Haaretz daily reported that 11 Israelis had been on the plane. Two were hospitalized and the other nine were feared dead, the newspaper said, citing a hospital worker.
About 60 bodies were retrieved quickly, but it took hours to get the other bodies out. Parts of the twisted plane lay smoking at the side of the runway, while officials carried bodies wrapped in white sheets to an airport building.
Survivors said the plane landed hard and was out of control.
“Our plane was landing, you can tell it was in trouble, because it kind of landed then came up again the second time,” said John Gerard O’Donnell of Ireland, speaking from his hospital bed. “I came out on the wing of the plane … the exit door, it was kind of crushed and I had to squeeze through. And saw my friend, he was outside. He just got out before me. And next thing, it really caught fire, then I just got badly burned.”
