Seven feared dead as tourist plane crashes in Thailand

Seven tourists are feared to have died after a private plane crashed into a swamp in Thailand on Thursday, according to reports.

Local media reported that the passengers had been flying from Bangkok airport to Trat province in the southwest when the plane burst into flames.

The Cessna 208B Grand-Caravan hurtled to the ground in a mangrove forest in Chachoengsao province shortly after 3.30pm.

Nine people were onboard the aircraft, the Bangkok Post reported.

The wreckage of the small plane was located in the mud in the forest, with women’s clothes and a photo of three foreign women found at the site.

Authorities are continuing to search for the missing pilots and passengers.

Images of the scene show wreckage dispersed around the forest with a large search team surrounding a crater.

A local resident, Ang Trasawat, said he had heard a loud explosion before running to the crash site.

He said: "There were explosions in the air. Before the plane fell, the sound was loud, then the plane fell to the ground.

"After that, I ran to see the scene. Pieces of the plane had been scattered around, including near a house."

Preecha Boontham, 56, said: "I heard the plane accelerating very loudly. There was no smoke coming out.

"Then the plane descended towards the fields and landed in the mangrove forest.

"It was a small white plane with two wings. After the crash, there was a loud explosion."

Police Lieutenant Warayut Chanwichumet, Deputy Chief of Investigation from the Bang Pakong District station, said that police and paramedics had been dispatched to the scene.

He said: “We have blocked off the area to prevent further accidents due to an oil leak from the plane. We have inspected the wreckage and have not yet found any pilot or passengers.

"We will expand the search radius and dig the ground beneath the wreckage to locate the pilot and passengers. We will also inspect the flight information to determine the plane's owner and the number of passengers."