At least 87 dead in Phuket-Airport disaster
On a day of heavy rain, strong winds and dark skies, Phuket was rocked by an air crash that claimed the lives of 87 people, both foreigners and Thais.
One2Go flight OG269 was travelling from Bangkok with 123 passengers and seven crew members on board.
At about 3.45 pm, the pilot attempted to land the plane but got into difficulties due to strong winds. The plane began to loose control and the pilot tried to take off again.
Already out of control and travelling with insufficient speed to lift the plane off the ground, the aircraft skidded off the runway, crashed into walls and trees and broke in two.
Reports I heard put the number of dead at 87, with 43 survivors being taken to Bangkok Phuket Hospital, Siriroj Hospital and Phuket Vachira Hospital. Most of the passengers were foreigners.
Of the list of survivors taken to Bangkok Phuket Hospital, there were Australians, Irish, Iranians, Brits, Austrians, Germans and Thais among them. The one child on board, five-year-old Hasham Madia from Iran, survived and was taken to Bangkok Phuket Hospital.
Friends and relatives of those on board made their way to Phuket Airport Office to find out if their loved ones were among the dead, although a full list of the deceased was not available at the time (I was only able to see lists of survivors along with the full manifesto). The scene at the office was soul-destroying as choruses of despair erupted from all sides.
Husbands lost their wives, mothers lost their children, children lost their parents. The pilot and co-pilot were both killed and only one of the seven crew on board survived.
Ambulances shuttled back and forth from the airport to the hospitals about half-an-hour’s drive away.
Being so close to death upset me to the point where I felt like crying. There I was gathering information and taking pictures while people around me were having their lives destroyed. It’s difficult to know how to act in such situations.
It’s been a long, sad day in Phuket and the realities of this disaster are yet to sink in.
Addendum: The full manifest for flight OG269 is available here. The full list of survivors can be viewed here. A temporary list of phone numbers has been released for people wanting to make enquiries about the accident (+66 to reach Thailand from outside):
- 085-155-4622
- 085-911-5092
- 085-918-3422
- 02-535-7662
- 02-504-3227
- 02-504-3641
As this story will be more or less all I hear about today, I will have an update on the latest information tonight.
September 16th, 2007 at 5:27 pm
I do not know how to express my feelings right now.
I am crying.
September 16th, 2007 at 5:44 pm
Seeing children and families crying together was horrible. I was stood next a man as he learned that his wife had died. I’ll never forget the look on his face.
September 16th, 2007 at 5:50 pm
Also, the definite cause of the crash is still unknown. The pilot’s mother was on TV tonight and she said the pilot was new to the profession, but it’s too early to speculate on info like that. Some are saying that bad weather was the primary cause, but we can’t say for certain yet.
One thing of note I read is that survivors said there were no warnings given before the crash, indicating that it was something that happened very fast and was unforeseen.
September 16th, 2007 at 8:39 pm
I can imagine it was difficult to take those pictures.
According to Dutch news agency, two Dutch are among the survivors. Strange to see that everyone is always interested in the fate of people with the same nationality.
As if the faith of others is less important.
It really is too early to start speculating about what caused the accident. I’m sure black box data will provide more information. Also read that the NTSB is assisting in the inquiries. Which is normal, since it is an American build airplane.
Thanks for all the efforts to bring us this information.
September 17th, 2007 at 12:21 am
I couldn’t stop crying after read your blog the photo just remind me of death bodies I have seen, and carried in tsunami … The experience I wish I had never ever will experience again but here it is today once again …
I made an offer to monk this morning and going to temple today to make some merit to wish all their soul rest in peace.
Being a local Phuket, born, and live here it is enough lost on this beautiful beloved island
September 17th, 2007 at 1:04 am
As a reporter/journalist you have to remember you are doing your job. I’ve been in similar situations and it’s never easy. It can become surreal at times when you’re viewing such sadness and grief through your lens. But you only have to look at the number of Google News stories about this terrible event to see that people around the world are being told about what’s happened, and someone has to be the one telling the story.
September 17th, 2007 at 5:34 am
Hectic, my hearts and prayers go out to all those involved. It’s a terrible accident and just adds to the woes that Thailand is experiencing at the moment.
September 17th, 2007 at 9:15 am
It’s been kind of hard to get on with work today. The pictures of bodies remind me too much the tsunami. Yeh, I know planes do crash, but of course when they crash in your backyard it’s a different emotion. I had to try and explain to my kids (age 6 and 2) why mummy and daddy were looking at a broken airplane and they couldn’t watch cartoons right now.
September 17th, 2007 at 9:50 am
Thanx for getting some pics.. reminds me of the tsunamie as well… btw, if it wouldn’t make you feel like crying you would be a monster! and not a compassionate human being. As I wrote on my blog my heart goes out to rescue workers, hospital staff and ofcourse all the passengers and relatives. Phuket has seen more than its share of death…
September 17th, 2007 at 4:27 pm
what a sad moment for the families who have lost their loved ones it was not long ago i went down to phuket on one to go and it was my last cheap flight the plane was old and cramped and i thought what would happen if this plane crashed where can you get protected i could not bend down there was no room i have friends coming over from uk early october and ive told them we will be going down by car its longer but i feel safer they saw the news about this and now agree with me its the best option just because the flight is short they have these cheapies get shut of them and give us the best planes for a descent price peoples lives come before profit
September 18th, 2007 at 3:00 pm
My prayers are with all survivors, family, friends, and everyone there to help in Phuket. May you find comfort in knowing that Jesus loves you and people around the World care for you.
September 21st, 2007 at 4:43 am
i’m sure this is due to weather condition. what we called as wind shear. for me is it not right to blame the pilot when there’s a disaster but we never pleased them either when they did a good and safe landing. it is sad to knows that there’s not much survivors but atleast let us pray to those who’s gone.For families who have lost their loves ones, please be strong and accept this as a faith.
September 25th, 2007 at 6:00 am
boeing sells the defective aircrafts outdated unsafe knowing the danger mcdonald douglas u.s based liable as i experiance the previous pilot saying the aircraft dangerous and defective . boeing cares no for pasenger safety but thier getting rid of defective planes . please published
February 4th, 2008 at 12:33 pm
It’s a terrible accident and just adds to the woes that Thailand is experiencing at the moment. My hearts and prayers go out to all those involved.