BANGKOK — A military plane carrying senior Lao government officials crashed Saturday in a wooded area as it approached an airport in the country’s northeast, killing at least five people, including the defense minister and other high-ranking members of the authoritarian country’s ruling party.
About 18 people were thought to be on board the plane, which left Vientiane, Laos’ capital, early Saturday morning to bring the group to an official ceremony in Xiangkhoung province, about 290 miles away, said Thai Foreign Ministry spokesman Sek Wannamethee.
Among those confirmed killed were Defense Minister Douangchay Phichit and his wife, said Nipat Thonglek, the Thai Defense Ministry’s permanent secretary. Others killed included Minister of Public Security Thongbane Sengaphone, Vientiane Gov. Sukhan Mahalad and at least one other senior ruling party official, Sek said. He said he was given the information by authorities in Laos.
