BBC News
The wreckage of a plane which crashed in Cambodia on Monday with 22 people on board has been found, say officials.
A helicopter located the crash site northeast of Bukor mountain in Kampot province, said the deputy governor.
There is no word on whether there are any survivors among the passengers, mainly South Korean tourists, or the Cambodian and Russian crew.
The plane lost contact in bad weather, and heavy rain and thick clouds have made the search operation difficult.
"We have located the crash site. It's high on the mountain," search pilot Tep Sitha told the Reuters news agency from the air.
The AN-24 plane had been making a short scheduled flight from Siem Reap to the coastal town of Sihanoukville when it disappeared from radar screens on Monday morning.
Aviation authorities have suggested that bad weather might have played a part in the crash.
Thirteen of the passengers were members of a South Korean tour group who were heading for the beach after spending time at the Angkor temples.
Three Czechs and the five-member Cambodian crew were also on board, as well as a Russian pilot.
The PMT Air service has only been running since January and tourism officials had hoped it would encourage visitors to spend longer in the country, our correspondent says.
Some 250,000 tourists visited Cambodia from South Korea last year - more than any other nationality.
A helicopter located the crash site northeast of Bukor mountain in Kampot province, said the deputy governor.
There is no word on whether there are any survivors among the passengers, mainly South Korean tourists, or the Cambodian and Russian crew.
The plane lost contact in bad weather, and heavy rain and thick clouds have made the search operation difficult.
"We have located the crash site. It's high on the mountain," search pilot Tep Sitha told the Reuters news agency from the air.
------Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen had offered a $5,000 (£2,500) reward to anyone who could help find the crash site.
NATIONALITIES ON BOARD
13 South Koreans
Five Cambodians (crew)
Three Czechs
Russian pilot
------
The AN-24 plane had been making a short scheduled flight from Siem Reap to the coastal town of Sihanoukville when it disappeared from radar screens on Monday morning.
Aviation authorities have suggested that bad weather might have played a part in the crash.
Thirteen of the passengers were members of a South Korean tour group who were heading for the beach after spending time at the Angkor temples.
Three Czechs and the five-member Cambodian crew were also on board, as well as a Russian pilot.
The PMT Air service has only been running since January and tourism officials had hoped it would encourage visitors to spend longer in the country, our correspondent says.
Some 250,000 tourists visited Cambodia from South Korea last year - more than any other nationality.
1 comment:
In the aftermath of major violation of air safety, the PMT has egregiously perpetrated hedious crime against its passengers, and therefore, I'm undoubtedly certain that the relatives of the deceased will sumon their attorneys for ligitation against the PMT airlines to make certain that all the ill-fated passengers be endentified, and and to ensure that this airline will be put in the holding pattern until the investigation is complete.
Further, the Cambodian government should make certain that this airline is not become airborne until the airline meets all the domestic air safety requirements.
Where the hell was the ELT (Emergency Locator Transmitter), which will transmit the signal in the event of the crash. Also, I highly doubted that this particular aircraft has black boxes (on the tail), one records the voice of the pilots, and the other records aircraft instruments.
On behalf of all Cambodians and other nationals, please do not gamble your life with the AN-24 airplane. This particular aircraft does not have the capability to handle the mereological conditions that it was encountered during the storm.
Also, what happen to the Cambodian NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board), after the authorities learned of the crash, or the Cambodian government simply does not have NTSB?
Please do not gamble your life with the air safety.
Khmer-American airline pilot
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