A plane with 9 people crashes in a forest near the Thai capital

() – A plane carrying nine people crashed near the Thai capital, Bangkok, on Thursday, prompting a massive search operation in which workers trudged through mud and dug through thick mangrove cover into the wee hours of the morning. evening.

According to authorities, two Thai pilots, five Chinese passengers and two Thais died while the crash is being investigated.

The small aircraft departed Bangkok’s main international airport at 2:46 p.m. local time bound for an airport in the eastern province of Trat, according to the Chachoengsao provincial office of the government’s public relations department.

He lost contact 10 minutes into the flight, according to a statement from the office.

Residents in Chachoengsao’s Bang Pakong district described how the plane fell from the sky and “exploded loudly” upon impact, with debris damaging nearby houses.

“I was sitting in front of my house. The plane flew over my house with a loud engine noise. A few seconds later it crashed right here, with a loud bang,” a resident told the authorities, in a video shared by the provincial office.

Soneva Kiri, a luxury resort located on the island of Koh Kood, confirmed to in a statement that it employed the two Thai passengers. Resort guests typically arrive by private plane to the nearby airport and then take a speedboat to the island.

The resort said it was cooperating fully with authorities in the investigation.

The cause of the accident remains unclear.

Parts of the aircraft were found scattered in the mud, along with almost 70 body parts, which have been sent to a police hospital for identification, the provincial office reported.

However, the search was delayed several hours due to logistical difficulties. The accident took place in a mangrove swamp, where the ground was wet due to the overflowing of a nearby river.

Photos and videos released by the office show a large crowd of first responders and emergency personnel at the scene, holding headlamps as night fell and searching through the remains, including open suitcases and bags. Large excavators dug through mud and mangroves, and some workers waded into knee-deep puddles to fish out remains.

The high tide of the river made the search even more difficult, as rescue teams had to pump water and build dams to prevent further water entry, according to the provincial office. The search was interrupted at 2 a.m. and resumed on Friday morning.

Authorities will analyze the wreckage of the aircraft to determine the cause of the crash, the office said – adding that the plane had no black box, and had communicated directly with air traffic control.

This article has been updated with additional information.