Plane crashes on Thai resort island
Aircraft reportedly skidded off runway as it came into land on Koh Samui.
The director-general of Thailand’s department of civil aviation confirmed the pilot had died in the crash, but said the 10 injured had not been seriously hurt.
Evacuation
Sakchai Jorpalit, district chief of the Thai tourist island, told AFP news agency that some of the injured suffered from broken legs.
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“All have been evacuated and hospitalised,” he said.
“The plane just pinched the control tower but there was no fire,” he said.
Nandhika Varavan, spokeswoman for Bangkok Airways confirmed the incident involving a plane arriving from Krabi, another popular tourist destination in southwest Thailand.
“I can confirm that there was just an incident with our aircraft from Krabi to Samui that landed and skidded off the runway,” she told AFP.
“We managed to evacuate all passengers.”
Bangkok Airways flies three times a week between the two tourist spots using 70-seater Turboflot aircraft, an official said.
The runway at Samui airport was closed after the accident and at least one Thai Airways flight was cancelled.