Plane Crash at Phuket Airport

I was leaving for home a bit early yesterday since the weather was so bad - there was a gap in the rain so I wanted to ride my bike home rather than make my wife and kids drive over to pick me up again. Just before I turned the computer off, I saw reports of a crash at Phuket International Airport. Reports were not sure of casualties yet, so I dashed home to get more from the Thai TV news.

I guess the weather was to blame - heavy rain and quite strong winds as I said yesterday. The BBC spoked to a hotel owner (I think the owner of the Phuket Airport Hotel) who said when the plane crashed there as a sudden squall. The BBC has stories about "low budget" airlines being unsafe, but sudden changes in weather have caused crashes before, I remember seeing a program on TV about "downdrafts" that can hit a plane as it lands. Too soon to speculate, but the weather in Phuket sure was bad yesterday.

I say a prayer for those who have died.

News Reports of the Crash:

• Bangkok Post
• The Nation
• Phuket Gazette
• BBC News

•One-Two-Go Website - Passenger Manifest and List of Survivors

Important telephone numbers:

One-Two-Go Hotline 1126
Bangkok Phuket Hospital 076-254421-9
Siriroj Hospital 076-249400
Vajira Phuket Hospital 076-361234
Mission Phuket Hospital 076-237220-9
Thalang Hospital 076-311033
British Embassy's emergency centre 02-3058333

Phuket Airport 076-351-144, 076-351166



You can see more pictures and story on Matt Crook's Blog - he works for the Phuket Gazette - The Lost Boy.