Internet users in China reacted with grief and shock after five Chinese nationals, including two children, were killed in a plane crash in Thailand on Thursday afternoon.
The small turboprop plane headed to Thailand’s southeastern Trat province lost contact with air traffic control shortly after taking off from Suvarnabhumi Airport in the capital Bangkok, Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported.
China’s embassy in Thailand confirmed to Xinhua that five Chinese nationals were among the nine people on the plane. The others were the pilot and co-pilot and two cabin crew, all Thai nationals.
There were no survivors.
Two of the victims were children aged 12 and 13, local media reported.
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Two Chinese children believed to be among 9 killed in Thailand plane crash
Two Chinese children believed to be among 9 killed in Thailand plane crash
A rescuer who identified himself only as Chu told The Beijing News that emergency workers had to dig up to 3 metres (about 10 feet) to find the victims’ remains at the crash site, a mangrove swamp in Chachoengsao province about 40km (25 miles) from Suvaranbhumi.
Search and rescue operations continued into Thursday night but had to be stopped after the site was submerged by the rising tide near the mouth of the Bang Pakong River.
Chinese internet users mourned the victims on social media, leaving “please be safe” and praying or crying emojis under a post on the tragedy from state broadcaster CCTV.
“It is so heartbreaking to know that there were even two children among five Chinese tourists. They just went to have fun on a summer holiday,” one user commented on the post on Weibo, a Twitter-like Chinese platform.
The accident has also sparked concerns about the safety of small aircraft.
“So are these low-altitude small aircraft really safe? Even a minor incident could have devastating consequences,” another commenter wrote on Weibo.
According to Aviation Safety Network, the Cessna Caravan C208B was operated by the Thai Flying Service. It ferried passengers between Bangkok and a luxury island resort on an island in Trat, a coastal province about 275km southeast of the Thai capital.
The operator of the aircraft told Chinese media The Paper that the plane had been en route to an island resort.
Several Chinese web users recognised the aircraft and expressed shock.
“I am shocked as I just took this flight. I also felt the plane was too small and might be unsafe at that time. But it would be inconvenient to go to the island if not taking the flight,” a user posted on Weibo with a hashtag related to the crash.
Thai authorities said the cause of the accident was under investigation.
