Bad weather blamed for tragedy
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Laos' national carrier has set up a special committee to investigate Wednesday's crash that claimed 49 lives, Somphone Douangdara, president of Lao Airlines, said in a press statement issued in Vientiane yesterday.
The panel will comprise Lao Airlines staff, national and local authorities and investigators from ATR, the French-Italian manufacturer of the aircraft involved.
Somphone blamed bad weather for the crash of the ATR-72 turboprop, which plunged into the Mekong River eight kilometres before reaching its destination of Pakse, killing all 49 passengers, including five Thais, and crew.
“My deepest condolences go out to all families affected by this accident,” Somphone said.
Flight QV 301 had taken off from the Laotian capital Vientiane bound for Champasak province in the south, but crashed making an attempt to land during bad weather whipped up by Typhoon Nari.
Somphone said the bad weather was the main factor contributing to the crash, as the aircraft was relatively new, having been delivered from the factory in March.
“We are following procedures set out for cases of emergency in supplying further information to the victims’ relatives and families,” he said.
The state-run airline will compensate the families for the loss of their loved ones, added Somphone, noting that the aircraft was fully insured. This crash was the second this year in Laos, after a DHC-6 Twin Otter 300 belonging to another state enterprise, Lao Air, crashed at Sam Neua Airport in April injuring five.
Wednesday’s air crash was the most serious in Laos since 1998, when a Yakovlev-40 carrying a Vietnamese military delegation crashed in northern Xiangkhoung province during a heavy rainstorm, killing 26.
Yesterday, the crash site on Donkhor Island in the Mekong River drew crowds of onlookers, who witnessed the mudslide and fallen trees that marked the spot where the ill-fated aircraft came down.
All that was visible of the plane itself was a wing and some luggage, as the area was sealed off from onlookers. Both the Thai and Laotian rescue teams have stated that the rest of the wreckage has not yet been fully investigated.
“We’ve been cooperating with Thai rescue divers in the search for bodies. I don’t think there will be any survivors,” said Xaysana Visatathe, of the Champasak response team.
