Thailand plane crash kills six police officers

Police said that six police officers were killed in Thailand after their plane crashed into the sea during a trial flight to train umbrellas.

The small plane was seen colliding with water at about 08:00 local time (01:00 GMT) on Friday in the Cha, a coastal resort area, about 130 km (80 miles) southwest of Bangkok.

The Royal Thai police said in a Facebook statement that five officers died at the scene, with a later death in the hospital.

The authorities examine the registrar of the black box data to determine the cause of the accident.

The local media said that the plane hit the water about 100 meters from the beach, while the joint shots on the Internet showed people wandering around the sea to reach the crash site.

Police confirmed that the officers who died are three pilots, one engineer and mechanics.

“The Royal Thai police express their deepest condolences to the brave officers who lost their lives,” a statement added.

Police chief Ketitat Vanvit, who visited the scene alongside other officials, said that preliminary investigations showed that the plane was heading towards the homes, but its pilots managed to maneuvers towards the sea, and avoid any other deaths.

Photos from later on Friday showed that the plane wreck is partially dumped in shallow water.